Sivoa
Written by Heather Scott
Pencils by Heather Scott
Indie
A half year into writing comic reviews, most from indie creators, I have already become a huge fan of those who have the creative drive to continue their ideas.
The indie field is littered with Issue #1s, comics people dreamed would catch attention, and when the reality of indie sales hit home, interest in putting forth the effort to see future issues created wanes and the creators go back to be accountants or bank tellers, or whatever.
So when you get to review a book like Sivoa from Heather Scott you just tip your hat and say great job when you read through Issue #1, then #2, #3 and on to the current Issue #6. That makes the title a winner without even reading a page.
Of course for Scott the genesis of the book was a long one.
“I guess that if I had to pick an absolute starting point for this, it would have been shortly after the video game Mortal Combat 2 came out,” she said. “This is actually very important because the boys that I hung out with when I was little wanted to make the next game in the series. I loved the idea and started churning out character after character for this until Mortal Combat 3 and the game franchise exploded.
“Due to being totally distracted by the Mortal Combat games, movie, and TV series, we ended up abandoning the characters we created. This was, until the second Mortal Combat movie came out and we realized that we were bored with the re-hashed material that we were constantly being fed. It was at this point that we decided to do something totally different with the ideas that we had already came up with.
“Not having been fully-introduced to the idea of table-top or live-action role-playing games, we ended up creating rough character sheets that revised some of our characters (or created whole news ones) and developed back-stories for each of them. We then created a rough idea of the world that would house them and from there we would act them out much in the way that children play pretend.
“That didn’t really carry on to much further than part-way through middle school, when we all had to go our different ways. I kept my character Dragonira in mind on through high-school because I had fun drawing her and revising her story constantly gave me a mental distraction from lessons that I probably should have paid attention to.”
Scott said from that point real life came to influence the fictional fantasy story’s development.
“It was also during this point that the story started taking on darker overtones as I began to discover that my friends led significantly less happy lives than I did. I won't go into any detail regarding that, but my only way to understand even remotely what they were going through was for me to have my main character go through some of it too,” she said. “This ended up depressing me and so I dropped the whole thing myself for a good long while.
“It wasn’t until after I graduated and was already about a year into college before I looked at Sivoa again ... and this is because my friend Sarah had gone through all of my sketchbooks and asked me an almost never-ending string of questions about the characters that she saw within. After finding myself spending hours answering each of her questions, I decided to draw it out as a comic for her.”
So we dive into the story.
You learn pretty quickly that Scott had a long range vision for the story. At times creators have a narrow view, one that gets them through a book, or two, then the story sputters. For the most part Scott exhibits a pretty solid understanding of story pacing. She has the ebb and flow of a good tale here, with moments of tension, countered with the sort of backbeat readers need to take a breath.
The story is a fantasy setting, with Scott’s take on the elf and mixing in cat people. Nothing startlingly original, but they work for the story.
In terms of art Scott uses black and white. The book could be bolstered with colour, but an indie book has to deal with cost realities, so accept the black and white world.
Scott won’t become a household name as an artist based on Sivoa, although the lines do sharpen from Issue #1 to #6, and that’s a good sign.
The work has just a hint of Japanese manga, at times, in a few of the faces. At times Scott is bang on in terms of facial emotions, and at other times seems just a bit off, yet in the end the overall look works pretty well for the title.
Scott talked about the B&W choice in her interview.
“When I first got started with the print comic venture, I realized that printing in colour for the quantities that I needed would have been out of our budget,” she said. “Because of this I opted to go with black and white interiors for the comic.
“With that in mind, I experimented with a number of different styles and techniques including ink washes, tones, markers, etc., and eventually opted to go with a style oriented around hatching.”
Sivoa might not immediately catch your attention if it was in a pile of comic titles, but it is nevertheless a pretty satisfying effort that you have to credit Scott with pursuing.
And, there is more to come.
“Well, the first thing would be to finish the seventh issue in the series so that it's available towards the beginning of next year (2010),” said Scott.
“From there I've been working on revising some of the comic’s pages and organizing the seven issues into a paper-back trade. In addition to that I’ve been tinkering with assembling a sort of notebook showcasing some of the things that were developed for Sivoa, but were ultimately cast aside. I don’t have a definitive date for when either of these are coming out though.
There is a simple archive of the comics online at http://sivoa.dragonmun.com for those that wish to keep up with the comic there. This site does not feature many of the extra materials that are provided in the printed issues, but those can be ordered from there as well.
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Review -- SMUTTYNOSE
Smuttynose
Written by Bob Oxman
Pencils by Bob Oxman
Indie
Smuttynose is a comic that is one of those that is rather hard to know just how to review.
To begin with the story is basically a historically true one, so you can’t really argue with what unfolds.
That said, I am not sure why two issues in, creator Bob Oxman chose this particular story to bring to life. Frankly, it’s just not all that compelling.
The story is based on a murder case, but the first two issues focus to much on background, and not enough on the action.
Oxman might have wanted to start with the murder, or trial and then fill in the background as flashbacks or court testimony to punch up the book’s tempo.
For Oxman though the story clearly holds interest.
“The storyline is inspired by three things, the court testimony from the transcript in the Augusta, Maine court records, the news and tabloids published just after the murders, and the subsequent books published since then,” explained the writer artist. “There is also an element of fiction blended into the comic which at times fills in the gaps of what is known/speculation. This is where I have taken the most liberties, but I have tried to remain faithful to the facts for the most part.
Oxman said the murders have held an interest for him since he found out about the case.
“I have been interested in the Smuttynose murders since I stumbled upon to the story when visiting Star Island a few years ago,” he said. “I was visiting with the Star Island Hotel’s museum curator to do research for a comic book about New England ghosts. I went to see Betty Moody’s cave and a few other spots. After that she asked if I wanted to see something really scary. Of course I agreed. She got her assistant to check out a rowboat and we were soon on our way to Smuttynose Island. I videotaped the voyage. I was a bit nervous about sharks as she mentioned there were several seal carcasses washed up on some of the other isles. When we arrived at Smuttynose she walked me to where the old Hontvet house used to sit and told me the tale for the first time. When she was finished I put the ghost stories aside and made the decision to make Smuttynose my senior thesis at The Center for Cartoon Studies where I was about to begin my second year in the MFA program.
“I spent that first year researching, writing, and sketching and in June of 2007 I handed in my completed illustrated script. It was around 100 pages of combined writing and drawings, but it was in order to secure the MFA in Cartoon Studies, I had to go back and complete and self-publish the first issue, Smuttynose Issue #1, as CCS is a Comic Book making school essentially. I have been treating that thesis as a template for the comics I’m making now.
Oxman said research has proved the critical element of the book.
“The website, http://www.seacoastnh.com/Places_&_Events/Smuttynose_Murders/ has been invaluable for me,” he said. “The research is still an ongoing part of the process, and a challenge, but as I said before there is an element of fiction in my work as well as filling in some of the gray areas or gaps where the history, faces, or events are unclear. This combination of sticking to the facts while keeping a touch of creative freedom is what keeps the work interesting, as does when some of my questions get answered by other authors on the subject. The down side is sometimes I feel compelled to go back and make changes to maintain historical accuracy, but I will have ample opportunity to do that when all four mini comics are done and I move on to putting them together in a collected graphic novel format.
As a collected story the book may have more action to carry it, but the individual first issues are lacking in that.
The art too is interesting.
The work is again frankly rather crude, but if you think of it as a period piece, it seems to be a fairly effective tool in terms of setting era. Remember the murder took place in 1873, and the art looks like it might well have originated then.
If it’s done for style it works, although in modern terms the art doesn’t rate.
Oxman said the art is for effect.
“In regards to the aesthetic of the comics, my art style is influenced by a number of sources including the news print illustrations and photos that were printed just after the murder but, I also am very fond of old German wood cut prints which a lot of the art is inspired by and I also like William Blake Prints,” he said. “My only formal training in art was the two years I spent at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, VT. Before that I was a Zoo Train Engineer and Creative Literature major at UC Santa Barbara's Center for Creative Studies. I have been sketching comics off and on since I stopped paying attention in high school math class and started making satire panels in the grid books.
“The art classes at Hanover High were nourishing, but I never became particularly proficient drawing in an ultra realistic style.
“While I wish that I could draw like comic book legends/New Yorker cover artists Dan Clowes (Eighball), Adrian Tomine (Optic Nerve), or Mike Magnolia (Hellboy), I realize my limitations and have learned to work out my own "primitive style" to draw my stories in a way that feels authentic and enjoyable to me. I currently work for an art museum so I am constantly finding new inspirations.”
Even Oxman looks at the result of his work as somewhat mixed.
“Sometimes the results are good and sometimes I don't like what ends up on the page, but the most important thing for me right now is to keep at it, stay inspired, and see this project through to the end,” he said.
Oxman said overall he has created something he said he would like as a comic buyer.
“The Smuttynose comics look like the kind of raw mini-comic book I would have wanted to buy when I was collecting and buying comics every week in the 1990's at The Funny Book Factory in Lebanon, NH (formerly know as Club Comics),” he said. “There was this period of time when all the books were just too shiny or over produced at least, in terms of cover-versus-content. There were too few books that I could sink my teeth into in terms of plot and character development. My tastes are eclectic. I read a lot of Heavy Metal magazine for more underground variety, but I also like Sam Keith's and Jim Lee's work in the mainstream press. I wasn't really aware of self-published comics until much later as it seems the distribution networks were undergoing a slow evolution from the 1960's underground comics/hippie shops to today's modern internet distribution networks like the one that carries my book, iknowjoekimpel.com. ”
There is more of the Smuttynose murder to tell too.
“While the first mini-comic book serves as a prequel/origin story to Maren Hontvet and her family,” said Oxman. “The second book serves to bring Louis Wagner into the lives of the Hontvets and Christensens. The third book will be focused on the murders themselves. It will also begin to more fully depict the divergence of perspective of the characters based on the court room testimony.”
Not a book I can highly recommend, but an interesting one for true murder and history buffs to check out.
The book will be available at: http://www.iknowjoekimpel.com/Bob-Oxman.php
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Bob Oxman
Pencils by Bob Oxman
Indie
Smuttynose is a comic that is one of those that is rather hard to know just how to review.
To begin with the story is basically a historically true one, so you can’t really argue with what unfolds.
That said, I am not sure why two issues in, creator Bob Oxman chose this particular story to bring to life. Frankly, it’s just not all that compelling.
The story is based on a murder case, but the first two issues focus to much on background, and not enough on the action.
Oxman might have wanted to start with the murder, or trial and then fill in the background as flashbacks or court testimony to punch up the book’s tempo.
For Oxman though the story clearly holds interest.
“The storyline is inspired by three things, the court testimony from the transcript in the Augusta, Maine court records, the news and tabloids published just after the murders, and the subsequent books published since then,” explained the writer artist. “There is also an element of fiction blended into the comic which at times fills in the gaps of what is known/speculation. This is where I have taken the most liberties, but I have tried to remain faithful to the facts for the most part.
Oxman said the murders have held an interest for him since he found out about the case.
“I have been interested in the Smuttynose murders since I stumbled upon to the story when visiting Star Island a few years ago,” he said. “I was visiting with the Star Island Hotel’s museum curator to do research for a comic book about New England ghosts. I went to see Betty Moody’s cave and a few other spots. After that she asked if I wanted to see something really scary. Of course I agreed. She got her assistant to check out a rowboat and we were soon on our way to Smuttynose Island. I videotaped the voyage. I was a bit nervous about sharks as she mentioned there were several seal carcasses washed up on some of the other isles. When we arrived at Smuttynose she walked me to where the old Hontvet house used to sit and told me the tale for the first time. When she was finished I put the ghost stories aside and made the decision to make Smuttynose my senior thesis at The Center for Cartoon Studies where I was about to begin my second year in the MFA program.
“I spent that first year researching, writing, and sketching and in June of 2007 I handed in my completed illustrated script. It was around 100 pages of combined writing and drawings, but it was in order to secure the MFA in Cartoon Studies, I had to go back and complete and self-publish the first issue, Smuttynose Issue #1, as CCS is a Comic Book making school essentially. I have been treating that thesis as a template for the comics I’m making now.
Oxman said research has proved the critical element of the book.
“The website, http://www.seacoastnh.com/Places_&_Events/Smuttynose_Murders/ has been invaluable for me,” he said. “The research is still an ongoing part of the process, and a challenge, but as I said before there is an element of fiction in my work as well as filling in some of the gray areas or gaps where the history, faces, or events are unclear. This combination of sticking to the facts while keeping a touch of creative freedom is what keeps the work interesting, as does when some of my questions get answered by other authors on the subject. The down side is sometimes I feel compelled to go back and make changes to maintain historical accuracy, but I will have ample opportunity to do that when all four mini comics are done and I move on to putting them together in a collected graphic novel format.
As a collected story the book may have more action to carry it, but the individual first issues are lacking in that.
The art too is interesting.
The work is again frankly rather crude, but if you think of it as a period piece, it seems to be a fairly effective tool in terms of setting era. Remember the murder took place in 1873, and the art looks like it might well have originated then.
If it’s done for style it works, although in modern terms the art doesn’t rate.
Oxman said the art is for effect.
“In regards to the aesthetic of the comics, my art style is influenced by a number of sources including the news print illustrations and photos that were printed just after the murder but, I also am very fond of old German wood cut prints which a lot of the art is inspired by and I also like William Blake Prints,” he said. “My only formal training in art was the two years I spent at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, VT. Before that I was a Zoo Train Engineer and Creative Literature major at UC Santa Barbara's Center for Creative Studies. I have been sketching comics off and on since I stopped paying attention in high school math class and started making satire panels in the grid books.
“The art classes at Hanover High were nourishing, but I never became particularly proficient drawing in an ultra realistic style.
“While I wish that I could draw like comic book legends/New Yorker cover artists Dan Clowes (Eighball), Adrian Tomine (Optic Nerve), or Mike Magnolia (Hellboy), I realize my limitations and have learned to work out my own "primitive style" to draw my stories in a way that feels authentic and enjoyable to me. I currently work for an art museum so I am constantly finding new inspirations.”
Even Oxman looks at the result of his work as somewhat mixed.
“Sometimes the results are good and sometimes I don't like what ends up on the page, but the most important thing for me right now is to keep at it, stay inspired, and see this project through to the end,” he said.
Oxman said overall he has created something he said he would like as a comic buyer.
“The Smuttynose comics look like the kind of raw mini-comic book I would have wanted to buy when I was collecting and buying comics every week in the 1990's at The Funny Book Factory in Lebanon, NH (formerly know as Club Comics),” he said. “There was this period of time when all the books were just too shiny or over produced at least, in terms of cover-versus-content. There were too few books that I could sink my teeth into in terms of plot and character development. My tastes are eclectic. I read a lot of Heavy Metal magazine for more underground variety, but I also like Sam Keith's and Jim Lee's work in the mainstream press. I wasn't really aware of self-published comics until much later as it seems the distribution networks were undergoing a slow evolution from the 1960's underground comics/hippie shops to today's modern internet distribution networks like the one that carries my book, iknowjoekimpel.com. ”
There is more of the Smuttynose murder to tell too.
“While the first mini-comic book serves as a prequel/origin story to Maren Hontvet and her family,” said Oxman. “The second book serves to bring Louis Wagner into the lives of the Hontvets and Christensens. The third book will be focused on the murders themselves. It will also begin to more fully depict the divergence of perspective of the characters based on the court room testimony.”
Not a book I can highly recommend, but an interesting one for true murder and history buffs to check out.
The book will be available at: http://www.iknowjoekimpel.com/Bob-Oxman.php
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- ROSE BLACK
Rose Black
Created by Tom Campbell and Edward Murphy
Written by Tom Campbell
Pencils by Jaeson Finn
Inks by Colin Barr
Rough Cut Comics
Vampire stories are a favourite of the comic writers, and that means such stories are increasingly difficult to make fresh.
There are the trite attempts such as Twilight movies, which are more poppish school girl fare, which has sadly seeped over to television with airways pollution such as The Vampire Diaries.
So, when I have the opportunity to read a graphic novel -- collecting the original 2005 mini series -- such as Rose Black by creators Tom Campbell and Edward Murphy it’s gratifying to see a truly worthwhile take on the genre. The vampire at the heart of this story is anything but ordinary, starting with the fact she is tied to the church, not exactly the usual home of such characters. It’s an intriguing twist which sets the story against a backdrop of the political intrigue of the church hierarchy.
The connection to the religious order also gives Rose Black a mysterious past which is unlike the story of other vampiric characters. It’s a nice call by the creators, and writer Tom Campbell weaves the tale well.
That there is a sort of covert, paramilitary, unit involved here, also works well, when you take into account the political aspect of a vampire connected to religion.
Creator Ed Murphy said the idea for the book actually started out simply with a name.
“I started with the name -- Rose Black -- I thought it had a nice ring to it,” he said. “I wanted to develop the idea of a vampire with a moral, religious zeal. The story didn't come together till my co-writer Tom Campbell hit on the idea of re-imagining vampire mythology to make Rose the only vampire in our universe. We needed a conflict; and once we settled on the notion of modern religion being her protagonist, it all fit into place. I wanted to fill it with religious conspiracies and secret cabals within a ‘spy-girl’ genre format.
“From having the idea, doing development work, and writing the final draft, took about three months.”
Writer Tom Campbell said the name proved a good launching pad for the book.
“I wanted to create a truly British comic-book heroine,” he said. “I think the name was a great starting point; I think it indicated a character in itself; and although she’s a fierce warrior, I wanted to infuse her with a big piece of humanity. The important thing about her is she is at odds with every stereotype in the vampire genre; something I'd like to develop that the villains of the piece have created.”
Artistically, Jaeson Finn is a perfect fit for the story. The black and white art is the right choice for the mileau, actually feeling more appropriate to the eye than would a full-colour effort.
Finn handles the action scenes with ease, showing drama even in the smallest panels. He knows that detail can add to the moment and lend more to the situation in a small panel as easily as using a full page splash simply for the effect of size.
The characters are accurately depicted, and again it fits for a story where only Rose Black is beyond the realm of realism.
Murphy said the art style of the book was one they felt was needed to fit the story.
“Despite being raised on Stan Lee, I've actually been more influenced by the style of the British artists -- Alan Davis, Steve Parkhouse and Garry Leach. Obviously being UK-based, we were weaned on 2000AD, so we've always modeled our styles -- since our debut comic The Surgeon -- on their editorial art,” he said. “So we knew we wanted the book to be black and white and we wanted cinematic action visuals.
“But I think the parameters of our story -- heavily action-orientated and gratuitous -- dictated the way it went forward.”
Murphy said the book turned out quite well in his mind.
“The first part of a story is always the most difficult; and I think I'm happy that I have a story which has some development in it ... and which I want to develop,” he said. “It’s a great grounding to have that with any potential series. I worked on a few things which you can’t look at a year after it’s complete. I don't have that with Rose Black.”
Overall, this is a great book, and the character Rose Black is one which deserves to be explored in future books. The good news more is coming.
“Rose Black: Book II is almost complete,” said Murphy. “I’ve written this one -- it’s subtitled Demon Seed -- and we introduce the concept of ‘organic divinity’ into the mix and introduce a demon clone as a new opponent.
“So much has changed since Book I was originally released (in 2005). We had fantastic sales back then, but B&W doesn't have so much clout these days. So we’re doing the new one in full colour, with artist Joel Carpenter providing pencils and inks; and Derek Dow doing the colors.”
It’s a winner. Check it out.
Individuals can order from www.Smallzone.com as well as www.roughcut-comics.com
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Created by Tom Campbell and Edward Murphy
Written by Tom Campbell
Pencils by Jaeson Finn
Inks by Colin Barr
Rough Cut Comics
Vampire stories are a favourite of the comic writers, and that means such stories are increasingly difficult to make fresh.
There are the trite attempts such as Twilight movies, which are more poppish school girl fare, which has sadly seeped over to television with airways pollution such as The Vampire Diaries.
So, when I have the opportunity to read a graphic novel -- collecting the original 2005 mini series -- such as Rose Black by creators Tom Campbell and Edward Murphy it’s gratifying to see a truly worthwhile take on the genre. The vampire at the heart of this story is anything but ordinary, starting with the fact she is tied to the church, not exactly the usual home of such characters. It’s an intriguing twist which sets the story against a backdrop of the political intrigue of the church hierarchy.
The connection to the religious order also gives Rose Black a mysterious past which is unlike the story of other vampiric characters. It’s a nice call by the creators, and writer Tom Campbell weaves the tale well.
That there is a sort of covert, paramilitary, unit involved here, also works well, when you take into account the political aspect of a vampire connected to religion.
Creator Ed Murphy said the idea for the book actually started out simply with a name.
“I started with the name -- Rose Black -- I thought it had a nice ring to it,” he said. “I wanted to develop the idea of a vampire with a moral, religious zeal. The story didn't come together till my co-writer Tom Campbell hit on the idea of re-imagining vampire mythology to make Rose the only vampire in our universe. We needed a conflict; and once we settled on the notion of modern religion being her protagonist, it all fit into place. I wanted to fill it with religious conspiracies and secret cabals within a ‘spy-girl’ genre format.
“From having the idea, doing development work, and writing the final draft, took about three months.”
Writer Tom Campbell said the name proved a good launching pad for the book.
“I wanted to create a truly British comic-book heroine,” he said. “I think the name was a great starting point; I think it indicated a character in itself; and although she’s a fierce warrior, I wanted to infuse her with a big piece of humanity. The important thing about her is she is at odds with every stereotype in the vampire genre; something I'd like to develop that the villains of the piece have created.”
Artistically, Jaeson Finn is a perfect fit for the story. The black and white art is the right choice for the mileau, actually feeling more appropriate to the eye than would a full-colour effort.
Finn handles the action scenes with ease, showing drama even in the smallest panels. He knows that detail can add to the moment and lend more to the situation in a small panel as easily as using a full page splash simply for the effect of size.
The characters are accurately depicted, and again it fits for a story where only Rose Black is beyond the realm of realism.
Murphy said the art style of the book was one they felt was needed to fit the story.
“Despite being raised on Stan Lee, I've actually been more influenced by the style of the British artists -- Alan Davis, Steve Parkhouse and Garry Leach. Obviously being UK-based, we were weaned on 2000AD, so we've always modeled our styles -- since our debut comic The Surgeon -- on their editorial art,” he said. “So we knew we wanted the book to be black and white and we wanted cinematic action visuals.
“But I think the parameters of our story -- heavily action-orientated and gratuitous -- dictated the way it went forward.”
Murphy said the book turned out quite well in his mind.
“The first part of a story is always the most difficult; and I think I'm happy that I have a story which has some development in it ... and which I want to develop,” he said. “It’s a great grounding to have that with any potential series. I worked on a few things which you can’t look at a year after it’s complete. I don't have that with Rose Black.”
Overall, this is a great book, and the character Rose Black is one which deserves to be explored in future books. The good news more is coming.
“Rose Black: Book II is almost complete,” said Murphy. “I’ve written this one -- it’s subtitled Demon Seed -- and we introduce the concept of ‘organic divinity’ into the mix and introduce a demon clone as a new opponent.
“So much has changed since Book I was originally released (in 2005). We had fantastic sales back then, but B&W doesn't have so much clout these days. So we’re doing the new one in full colour, with artist Joel Carpenter providing pencils and inks; and Derek Dow doing the colors.”
It’s a winner. Check it out.
Individuals can order from www.Smallzone.com as well as www.roughcut-comics.com
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- DEVIL BEAR: The Grimoires of Bearalzebub
Devil Bear: The Grimoires of Bearalzebub
Created, Written, Penciled and Inked by Ben Bourbon
Indie
If you like tongue-in-cheek humour, humour that as the Brits would say is ‘cheeky’ in nature, then Devil Bear should be just the comic for you.
Creator Ben Bourbon has a clearly warped sense of ‘ha-ha’ that is on one hand rather whimsical, and yet has a definite twisted overtone too.
The book is one of those that really heads down a rather weird little road, and just takes every hairpin corner it can to keep things getting weirder.
The storyline is rather straight forward, once you get into the book at least.
The devil is a Teddy Bear named Bearalzebub. That’s a pretty strange launching pad for a book to start with.
Add in a shapely devil-horned assistant drawn in the sexy-toon tradition of Jessica Rabbit, and you start to see where Bourbon is heading with the comic.
When the soul of Pooh the Pimp comes to the burning home of Bearalzebub things just get plain crazy, and totally fun.
Bourbon said the story started off like a lot of creations, with a few sketches.
“Devilbear really started off as a series of doodles that I made during a rather boring lecture about five years ago,” he said. “The idea really stuck in my mind and just kept growing over the years. Other artists and writers that I talked to would always say that they too had ‘great character ideas’ of their own and talk about how they were going to create their own animations, novels, comics, etc around it but they never seemed to actually get around to making anything.
“I knew I didn’t want that to happen to Devilbear. I had to take it past the idea stage.
“By the time I was ready to start the first issue I had several stories in my head. I chose the story that I did because it was a typical scenario and I didn’t really want to start with an origin story. Origin stories are fun but they can often fill up an entire issue with prerequisite material. I wanted to do something that just jumped in and said “this is a typical Devilbear episode. This is what the characters are about.”
Bourbon said he draws on a variety of influences in creating Devil Bear, including some rather classic ones.
“Dante’s Inferno obviously was one of the biggest influences for the first issue,” he said. “Its concept of the afterlife is one that a lot of people associate Hell with so it’s always a good place to start.
“Once I decided that a familiar stuffed bear that gluttonizes honey was going to go to Teddy Bear Hell, it only made sense that he would receive the ironic punishment of being gluttonized by a vicious dog. Having a traditional three headed dog seemed a bit too serious for the story, however, and maybe even a bit cliche so that’s when I created Cerbutt.”
From there Bourbon turned to other supporting characters.
“The job descriptions of the Daivas thus far are also based on the seven deadly sins from Dante’s Inferno,” said Bourbon. “This doesn’t mean that they are supposed to partake in that sin so much as they are supposed to encourage it. Lucy is the perfect example. As the Daiva of Lust, She is very sexy but does not lust after anyone herself. Also, just because it is her responsibility to be that way, doesn’t mean that is the extent of her personality. She also has a logical side and a strong work ethic. This makes her clash with Helle Belle a bit, who actually has given in to her own representations: becoming a rather lazy Daiva of Sloth.
“As we see a little bit in the story, as well as in some future ones, giving in to the sin they represent leads to other problems.”
Bourbon uses a highly cartoon style, which when your dealing with a Teddy Bear as the Devil is really the only way to go.
The pencils here are strong and distinct, with clean lines which make the images pop off the page.
The colouring too is bold and clean, giving the book a very ‘big company-polished’ look.
“I pretty much always knew how I wanted the artistic style to look,” said Bourbon. “It needed to be cartoony and fun but have a little bit of an edge to it at the same time. Colour choices played a large part in that: going for just a bit of a rock and roll poster kind of feel.
“Another really important drive for me though, was to maintain a visual consistency and quality in the characters. I’ve read some comics where a character’s face looks quite different in each panel on a single page. Sometimes to where I could almost wonder if they are really the same person.”
For a first foray into the world of Devil Bear Bourbon said he likes what he accomplished in issue one, noting he put a lot of effort into getting it right.
“I’m quite happy overall with the story,” he said. “I try to add at least a little humor to every page. If a page ends up without humor I’ll deviate from my script slightly and adlib some little pun or gag in there. If I just can’t come up with a pun that makes sense to slip in then I try to find a way to make that page’s art look funnier.
“I spend a lot of time planning out the page layouts. I pin the pages all over my walls so that I can see how the left page compliments the right page and if the number of panels feels balanced and flows in a way that appeals to me.
“As an artist, I could just keep nitpicking on the same story until I died of old age or something and never call it ‘done’.
“It’s all just a matter of reaching a point where I look at the story and the art without seeing anything that is an eyesore and maintaining an appropriate level of humor and then saying ‘time to move on to the next story because there are a lot more stories to tell’.”
This may not be every reader’s cup-of-tea, but if you like soft, naughty humour, with some twists along the way, this is certainly worth taking a read over, and there is more to come.
“There are a lot more teddy bears on their way to Hell,” said Bourbon. “There are also some pop culture icons that are not teddy bears but will be characterized as teddy bears and then be on their way to Hell. So business is good for Bearalzebub. Also expect to see more Daivas and some insight as to where they come from and where the missing ones are.”
Devilbear can always be found at: http://www.facebook.com/l/37dc2;www.thedevilbear.com/
Printed copies of the first issue can also be found at: http://www.facebook.com/l/37dc2;www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2662
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Created, Written, Penciled and Inked by Ben Bourbon
Indie
If you like tongue-in-cheek humour, humour that as the Brits would say is ‘cheeky’ in nature, then Devil Bear should be just the comic for you.
Creator Ben Bourbon has a clearly warped sense of ‘ha-ha’ that is on one hand rather whimsical, and yet has a definite twisted overtone too.
The book is one of those that really heads down a rather weird little road, and just takes every hairpin corner it can to keep things getting weirder.
The storyline is rather straight forward, once you get into the book at least.
The devil is a Teddy Bear named Bearalzebub. That’s a pretty strange launching pad for a book to start with.
Add in a shapely devil-horned assistant drawn in the sexy-toon tradition of Jessica Rabbit, and you start to see where Bourbon is heading with the comic.
When the soul of Pooh the Pimp comes to the burning home of Bearalzebub things just get plain crazy, and totally fun.
Bourbon said the story started off like a lot of creations, with a few sketches.
“Devilbear really started off as a series of doodles that I made during a rather boring lecture about five years ago,” he said. “The idea really stuck in my mind and just kept growing over the years. Other artists and writers that I talked to would always say that they too had ‘great character ideas’ of their own and talk about how they were going to create their own animations, novels, comics, etc around it but they never seemed to actually get around to making anything.
“I knew I didn’t want that to happen to Devilbear. I had to take it past the idea stage.
“By the time I was ready to start the first issue I had several stories in my head. I chose the story that I did because it was a typical scenario and I didn’t really want to start with an origin story. Origin stories are fun but they can often fill up an entire issue with prerequisite material. I wanted to do something that just jumped in and said “this is a typical Devilbear episode. This is what the characters are about.”
Bourbon said he draws on a variety of influences in creating Devil Bear, including some rather classic ones.
“Dante’s Inferno obviously was one of the biggest influences for the first issue,” he said. “Its concept of the afterlife is one that a lot of people associate Hell with so it’s always a good place to start.
“Once I decided that a familiar stuffed bear that gluttonizes honey was going to go to Teddy Bear Hell, it only made sense that he would receive the ironic punishment of being gluttonized by a vicious dog. Having a traditional three headed dog seemed a bit too serious for the story, however, and maybe even a bit cliche so that’s when I created Cerbutt.”
From there Bourbon turned to other supporting characters.
“The job descriptions of the Daivas thus far are also based on the seven deadly sins from Dante’s Inferno,” said Bourbon. “This doesn’t mean that they are supposed to partake in that sin so much as they are supposed to encourage it. Lucy is the perfect example. As the Daiva of Lust, She is very sexy but does not lust after anyone herself. Also, just because it is her responsibility to be that way, doesn’t mean that is the extent of her personality. She also has a logical side and a strong work ethic. This makes her clash with Helle Belle a bit, who actually has given in to her own representations: becoming a rather lazy Daiva of Sloth.
“As we see a little bit in the story, as well as in some future ones, giving in to the sin they represent leads to other problems.”
Bourbon uses a highly cartoon style, which when your dealing with a Teddy Bear as the Devil is really the only way to go.
The pencils here are strong and distinct, with clean lines which make the images pop off the page.
The colouring too is bold and clean, giving the book a very ‘big company-polished’ look.
“I pretty much always knew how I wanted the artistic style to look,” said Bourbon. “It needed to be cartoony and fun but have a little bit of an edge to it at the same time. Colour choices played a large part in that: going for just a bit of a rock and roll poster kind of feel.
“Another really important drive for me though, was to maintain a visual consistency and quality in the characters. I’ve read some comics where a character’s face looks quite different in each panel on a single page. Sometimes to where I could almost wonder if they are really the same person.”
For a first foray into the world of Devil Bear Bourbon said he likes what he accomplished in issue one, noting he put a lot of effort into getting it right.
“I’m quite happy overall with the story,” he said. “I try to add at least a little humor to every page. If a page ends up without humor I’ll deviate from my script slightly and adlib some little pun or gag in there. If I just can’t come up with a pun that makes sense to slip in then I try to find a way to make that page’s art look funnier.
“I spend a lot of time planning out the page layouts. I pin the pages all over my walls so that I can see how the left page compliments the right page and if the number of panels feels balanced and flows in a way that appeals to me.
“As an artist, I could just keep nitpicking on the same story until I died of old age or something and never call it ‘done’.
“It’s all just a matter of reaching a point where I look at the story and the art without seeing anything that is an eyesore and maintaining an appropriate level of humor and then saying ‘time to move on to the next story because there are a lot more stories to tell’.”
This may not be every reader’s cup-of-tea, but if you like soft, naughty humour, with some twists along the way, this is certainly worth taking a read over, and there is more to come.
“There are a lot more teddy bears on their way to Hell,” said Bourbon. “There are also some pop culture icons that are not teddy bears but will be characterized as teddy bears and then be on their way to Hell. So business is good for Bearalzebub. Also expect to see more Daivas and some insight as to where they come from and where the missing ones are.”
Devilbear can always be found at: http://www.facebook.com/l/37dc2;www.thedevilbear.com/
Printed copies of the first issue can also be found at: http://www.facebook.com/l/37dc2;www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2662
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Review -- DOG EATERS
Dog Eaters
Written by Malcolm Wong
Art by Guillermo A. Angel
Dabel Brothers
Dog Eaters is the kind of book I have to admit being a sucker for.
To start with the art is stunning. It jumps off the page thanks to an obviously manga-influenced style by artist Guillermo A. Angel, and dramatic colour work by Ruben Del Vela and Michael Bartolo. The art really sells this series, including great covers on the first three issues.
“Guillermo Angel was recommended to me by David Dabel, one of the four Dabels brothers,” said Wong. “He sent some character designs and we went back and forth until we came up with the final designs. I tended to lean towards what he does best, rather than try to swim against the current and to demand a vision that he may not be what he can execute.”
Then comes the theme of the storyline. Writer Malcolm Wong is telling a post apocalyptic story, which has seen the people of North America evolve back to a tribal life that has strong native overtones. So you have a sort of post apocalyptic western feel. Come on how cool is that.
The better news is that once you get into the series, you find Wong isn’t going for the big bang story, where every scene is gunfights. Instead, we get a descent look at the life of a nomadic tribe. It is through this story of survival Wong weaves a larger story of a mysterious stranger, and the arrival of an obvious bad guy.
Wong said he didn’t have a particular character pool in mind, instead creating by building off the central premise.
“The characters developed with the script,” he said. “I didn't outline the script. I started writing with just a premise and it was like getting into your car and taking a long distance drive without having a destination. I added characters as the story developed and then shaped them as I rewrote.”
Wong has a fine sense of pacing. He is able to balance the story of just making it through a day in a world gone backwards, with the more action-oriented aspects of the book. That for me sets Dog Eaters a cut above.
You get a feel for the big picture storyline as Wong tells about how he came to do the story.
“I started to write Dog Eaters at a time when I was totally disgusted with what was going on in the USA. The addictive preoccupation with celebrity, the political incompetence and arrogance at the highest level, the needless and endless war, the feeling that Americans were ‘fiddling while Rome burned.’ The U.S. has thrown the Republican party out of power and elected Barack Obama as president, but we are not getting much change, unless you consider "change," meaning that he has changed what he promised while he was campaigning. You could say matters are starting to fester even more.
“I started to speculate about what would happen if this current incarnation of Rome did in fact burn, bringing down the rest of the world with it in a chain reaction of economic collapse, war, disease, and famine, culminating in the ‘Die Off.
“After this second Dark Age, who would rise from the ashes of the destruction? Who would survive in the U.S. Southwest? Prisoners isolated in high-security prisons who interbred to create a super-brutal outlaw. People of native descent who could live off the land. Where would civilization start to coalesce first? Why, around the casino-cities, of course. And how would they be supplied? By armored caravans plying the trade routes by tight-knit groups of people like the Black Dog Clan.”
I always find it interesting that many excellent comic stories start out with the idea being targeted at a different medium. Wong’s story fits that list.
“Dog Eaters was a screenplay first,” he said. “I started writing it probably around 2004. So you see how long things can take, especially with a labor of love. (Quentin) Tarantino worked on Bastards for 10 years before it came to the screen, so this is not an uncommon occurrence. The adaptation from screenplay to comic script was fast, just a few weeks.”
Of course Wong said comics are not exactly where the story comes from.
“Comic writing has not been an influence at all,” he said. “Most comics are serial with the story structure becoming static after the origin story. After that, the story structures: bad guys are dispatched -- is repeated ad infinitum. I suppose, if there was a sequel, that Dog Eaters could be considered an origin story, but that might be trying to fit this story into a framework where it doesn't belong.”
I have always liked the post disaster story, and the western feel is a great addition. Add in the killer art and Dog Eaters is a book I highly recommend.
Wong likes it too.
“I am very proud of the way this book looks,” he said, adding production was a problem in terms of supporting the project. “As far as its acceptance and audience, it is hard to keep a reader’s attention with monthly issues of 28 - 32 pages an issue. And in our case, the gap between Issue 2 and 3 was five-months. In this day of instant gratification, you can't expect readers to stay tuned.”
Check it out at http://www.dogeaters-manga.com/
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Malcolm Wong
Art by Guillermo A. Angel
Dabel Brothers
Dog Eaters is the kind of book I have to admit being a sucker for.
To start with the art is stunning. It jumps off the page thanks to an obviously manga-influenced style by artist Guillermo A. Angel, and dramatic colour work by Ruben Del Vela and Michael Bartolo. The art really sells this series, including great covers on the first three issues.
“Guillermo Angel was recommended to me by David Dabel, one of the four Dabels brothers,” said Wong. “He sent some character designs and we went back and forth until we came up with the final designs. I tended to lean towards what he does best, rather than try to swim against the current and to demand a vision that he may not be what he can execute.”
Then comes the theme of the storyline. Writer Malcolm Wong is telling a post apocalyptic story, which has seen the people of North America evolve back to a tribal life that has strong native overtones. So you have a sort of post apocalyptic western feel. Come on how cool is that.
The better news is that once you get into the series, you find Wong isn’t going for the big bang story, where every scene is gunfights. Instead, we get a descent look at the life of a nomadic tribe. It is through this story of survival Wong weaves a larger story of a mysterious stranger, and the arrival of an obvious bad guy.
Wong said he didn’t have a particular character pool in mind, instead creating by building off the central premise.
“The characters developed with the script,” he said. “I didn't outline the script. I started writing with just a premise and it was like getting into your car and taking a long distance drive without having a destination. I added characters as the story developed and then shaped them as I rewrote.”
Wong has a fine sense of pacing. He is able to balance the story of just making it through a day in a world gone backwards, with the more action-oriented aspects of the book. That for me sets Dog Eaters a cut above.
You get a feel for the big picture storyline as Wong tells about how he came to do the story.
“I started to write Dog Eaters at a time when I was totally disgusted with what was going on in the USA. The addictive preoccupation with celebrity, the political incompetence and arrogance at the highest level, the needless and endless war, the feeling that Americans were ‘fiddling while Rome burned.’ The U.S. has thrown the Republican party out of power and elected Barack Obama as president, but we are not getting much change, unless you consider "change," meaning that he has changed what he promised while he was campaigning. You could say matters are starting to fester even more.
“I started to speculate about what would happen if this current incarnation of Rome did in fact burn, bringing down the rest of the world with it in a chain reaction of economic collapse, war, disease, and famine, culminating in the ‘Die Off.
“After this second Dark Age, who would rise from the ashes of the destruction? Who would survive in the U.S. Southwest? Prisoners isolated in high-security prisons who interbred to create a super-brutal outlaw. People of native descent who could live off the land. Where would civilization start to coalesce first? Why, around the casino-cities, of course. And how would they be supplied? By armored caravans plying the trade routes by tight-knit groups of people like the Black Dog Clan.”
I always find it interesting that many excellent comic stories start out with the idea being targeted at a different medium. Wong’s story fits that list.
“Dog Eaters was a screenplay first,” he said. “I started writing it probably around 2004. So you see how long things can take, especially with a labor of love. (Quentin) Tarantino worked on Bastards for 10 years before it came to the screen, so this is not an uncommon occurrence. The adaptation from screenplay to comic script was fast, just a few weeks.”
Of course Wong said comics are not exactly where the story comes from.
“Comic writing has not been an influence at all,” he said. “Most comics are serial with the story structure becoming static after the origin story. After that, the story structures: bad guys are dispatched -- is repeated ad infinitum. I suppose, if there was a sequel, that Dog Eaters could be considered an origin story, but that might be trying to fit this story into a framework where it doesn't belong.”
I have always liked the post disaster story, and the western feel is a great addition. Add in the killer art and Dog Eaters is a book I highly recommend.
Wong likes it too.
“I am very proud of the way this book looks,” he said, adding production was a problem in terms of supporting the project. “As far as its acceptance and audience, it is hard to keep a reader’s attention with monthly issues of 28 - 32 pages an issue. And in our case, the gap between Issue 2 and 3 was five-months. In this day of instant gratification, you can't expect readers to stay tuned.”
Check it out at http://www.dogeaters-manga.com/
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- GRIZZLY and CATICUS
Grizzly and Caticus
Written by Andrew Edge
Art by Andrew Edge
Cool Monkey Press
Grizzly and Caticus is one of those titles that two issues in still has me wondering exactly what is going on. That’s both good, and bad.
On one hand writer Andrew Edge is weaving a rather dark, and twisted little storyline. There are definitely some powers at play here, but Edge is keeping the details deliciously guarded over the opening two issues.
The other hand of the story is a tad confusing in its ambiguity over the first issues, and that may keep a few readers from sticking around, since comicbook readers often want a quick story fix. This is one Edge wants to have readers savor over time.
“The inspirations for Grizzly and Caticus were the culmination of a few years worth of ideas,” said Edge. “I knew I wanted to do something with them in the form of a comic but couldn’t figure out how to make the ideas work together in a story. They just seemed too random to me at the time.
“Two years ago I read ‘Catching The Big Fish’ by David Lynch, and then it became clear how to make the ideas or visions work.
“There is a beginning, middle and end to the story, but I do leave spaces open as new ideas or inspirations come to me so that I can fit them in.”
I have to say Grizzly and Caticus has one other flaw, and it comes from its production. The book utilizes glossy paper, and in issue one in particular, and to a lesser extent on issue two, the pages have sort of twisted a bit, almost like having been wet.
The art is interesting here too. Edge uses a painted style, mixing some black and white pages with coloured ones, to generally good effect.
The brush strokes have a softness, which gives the books a sort of surreal feeling, as if slightly out of focus with the real world. In that regard it fits the twists of the written story.
“As far as the look of the book, I like to use different media,” said Edge. “The hope is that all of these styles gel together at some point, and I can create my own unique voice. It also gives me a chance to test different things out, and keeps it fun as the different sections of the book can have their own style. It was definitely planned out so that the book would have different styles.”
Edge said he feels Grizzly and Caticus is growing as he progresses as writer and artist.
“I am happy that I was able to make two issues so far — the third should hopefully be out in February,” he said. “However, I always want the writing and art to get better. I believe I have achieved that somewhat with the third issue, and hopefully it will continue with the fourth and on.”
And there is more to come.
“I am hoping to make Grizzly and Caticus about 7-8 issues,” said Edge. “Once those are done I will be doing conventions, (as I am now), to help promote the book.
“It is planned to have a second series, but before that I have a couple of ideas that I may do first as one-shots.
“With doing all of the writing, art, and production work, minus the lettering, plus working the regular job it takes awhile to get these out. So I will be busy, but that is the plan.”
You can find the first two issues at Midtown Comics (http://www.facebook.com/l/d2d44;www.midtowncomics.com in the search field type Grizzly and Caticus and search in back issues; or order them directly from Edge at http://www.facebook.com/l/d2d44;www.coolmonkeypress.com. Readers can also learn more at his blog, http://www.facebook.com/l/d2d44;www.andrewedgeonline.com.
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Andrew Edge
Art by Andrew Edge
Cool Monkey Press
Grizzly and Caticus is one of those titles that two issues in still has me wondering exactly what is going on. That’s both good, and bad.
On one hand writer Andrew Edge is weaving a rather dark, and twisted little storyline. There are definitely some powers at play here, but Edge is keeping the details deliciously guarded over the opening two issues.
The other hand of the story is a tad confusing in its ambiguity over the first issues, and that may keep a few readers from sticking around, since comicbook readers often want a quick story fix. This is one Edge wants to have readers savor over time.
“The inspirations for Grizzly and Caticus were the culmination of a few years worth of ideas,” said Edge. “I knew I wanted to do something with them in the form of a comic but couldn’t figure out how to make the ideas work together in a story. They just seemed too random to me at the time.
“Two years ago I read ‘Catching The Big Fish’ by David Lynch, and then it became clear how to make the ideas or visions work.
“There is a beginning, middle and end to the story, but I do leave spaces open as new ideas or inspirations come to me so that I can fit them in.”
I have to say Grizzly and Caticus has one other flaw, and it comes from its production. The book utilizes glossy paper, and in issue one in particular, and to a lesser extent on issue two, the pages have sort of twisted a bit, almost like having been wet.
The art is interesting here too. Edge uses a painted style, mixing some black and white pages with coloured ones, to generally good effect.
The brush strokes have a softness, which gives the books a sort of surreal feeling, as if slightly out of focus with the real world. In that regard it fits the twists of the written story.
“As far as the look of the book, I like to use different media,” said Edge. “The hope is that all of these styles gel together at some point, and I can create my own unique voice. It also gives me a chance to test different things out, and keeps it fun as the different sections of the book can have their own style. It was definitely planned out so that the book would have different styles.”
Edge said he feels Grizzly and Caticus is growing as he progresses as writer and artist.
“I am happy that I was able to make two issues so far — the third should hopefully be out in February,” he said. “However, I always want the writing and art to get better. I believe I have achieved that somewhat with the third issue, and hopefully it will continue with the fourth and on.”
And there is more to come.
“I am hoping to make Grizzly and Caticus about 7-8 issues,” said Edge. “Once those are done I will be doing conventions, (as I am now), to help promote the book.
“It is planned to have a second series, but before that I have a couple of ideas that I may do first as one-shots.
“With doing all of the writing, art, and production work, minus the lettering, plus working the regular job it takes awhile to get these out. So I will be busy, but that is the plan.”
You can find the first two issues at Midtown Comics (http://www.facebook.com/l/d2d44;www.midtowncomics.com in the search field type Grizzly and Caticus and search in back issues; or order them directly from Edge at http://www.facebook.com/l/d2d44;www.coolmonkeypress.com. Readers can also learn more at his blog, http://www.facebook.com/l/d2d44;www.andrewedgeonline.com.
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- RAZORJACK -- Collected Edition
Razorjack - Collected Edition
Created & Written by John Higgins
Art by John Higgins
Comx Comics
All right, time to be a bit of a pure ‘fan boy’ here. While my interviews for these reviews are carried out via email, I have to say it’s still a huge thrill to think John Higgins took the time to support my humble endeavours.
If you are a true comic fan you will recognize Higgins name as the colorist on The Watchmen, one of the true classic comic title. You might know it from a recent movie that garnered some attention too *wink.
Razorjack is Higgins own creation, where he spreads his wings and does it all, create, write and pencil, and he does it darned well too.
I have to say Higgins created a wonderfully dark, twisted and interesting world filled with dark, demonic otherworldly creatures looking to cross into ours, led by Razorjack.
“The Razorjack character was designed before I had written the complete story,” said Higgins. “I needed to visualize for my self a creature that was the essence of evil. I thought long and hard about her, redesigned her a thousand times. Once I had that sense of the protagonist, everything else revolved around her.
“I have been going through style changes since I had first started drawing comics, so every job is a learning curve and I think in Razorjack it shows more than in any other one book, as the first story arc pages were drawn 10 years ago and the last story arc pages this year.”
And of course there is the all too human pawns put into play, against the hero that has to find a way to thwart the end of our world.
While there are elements here you will have read in other comics, Higgins take remains fresh enough to stand out.
Higgins said the title was something he wanted to do because he wanted to explore his own creation for change.
“All I had wanted to do with Razorjack was to create my own world outside of what I had been commissioned to do all my professional life,” he said. “As much as I love working on Batman, Spiderman or even the Watchmen it has always been as a gun for hire.
“So the starting point for the story itself was a long time growing, and is based on what I enjoyed most and had not done yet. Then it grew into a more personal style that incorporates everything I enjoy, SF, police procedure, horror, murder mystery, this I call, ‘hard-boiled, SF noir’.”
Higgins said he used the title as a way to encompass what he personally enjoyed ads a fan of comics.
“I was literally trying to put in everything that I enjoyed doing, stuff that I had previously touched on in my work for other companies, like 2000 AD, which has that science fiction element,” he said. “Also Metal Hurlant, which was a French science fantasy comic book that I first read as an art student, that certainly influenced me.
“And most anything done by Richard Corben influenced me, horror that has an under current of humour.”
As for the art it is clean, dramatic, with shadings which capture the darkness of the storyline perfectly. You might expect that from Higgins given his resume, but trust he does not let that expectation down at all.
With Razorjack Higgins shows he is a complete creator with the ability to envision unique worlds, populate it with compelling characters, and through that combination tell a darned exciting, albeit dark tale.
Higgins then wraps it all in a nice package artistically.
So it’s not a surprise he likes the final product.
“I have always enjoyed as a reader of comic books to be shocked, delighted or amazed; to be taken to a place I have never been to before,” he said. “This is how I tried to make the world of Razorjack. I wanted to take the readers into my world were nothing is as you perceive it to be; to unsettle the readers preconceptions from page one.
“And, talking to readers at signings and conventions, who are now giving me feed back, I appear to have achieved that.”
Readers will also be thrilled to learn the story of Razorjack is not yet complete.
“I have written a new story and created new art for the collected edition. That certainly gave me an incentive to do more in the world of Razorjack,” he Higgins. “I found I still liked these characters, and want to do more. So I am just waiting for the right opportunity. The lead character Razorjack has stepped out side of the pages of the book, and now exists with in our world. She has been created by from my designs by the master sculptor Nigel Booth and formed into a prosthetic head. She is going to feature in a variety of projects. Keep checking at, www.turmoilcolour.com and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Razorjack/56068783540?ref=ts
to see where she appears next.”
Originally published as a mini series, the Collected Edition of Razorjack is a beautiful square-bound collection any comic fan should have in their collection.
Impressive in all aspects.
Look for it at http://www.comxcomics.com/titles
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Created & Written by John Higgins
Art by John Higgins
Comx Comics
All right, time to be a bit of a pure ‘fan boy’ here. While my interviews for these reviews are carried out via email, I have to say it’s still a huge thrill to think John Higgins took the time to support my humble endeavours.
If you are a true comic fan you will recognize Higgins name as the colorist on The Watchmen, one of the true classic comic title. You might know it from a recent movie that garnered some attention too *wink.
Razorjack is Higgins own creation, where he spreads his wings and does it all, create, write and pencil, and he does it darned well too.
I have to say Higgins created a wonderfully dark, twisted and interesting world filled with dark, demonic otherworldly creatures looking to cross into ours, led by Razorjack.
“The Razorjack character was designed before I had written the complete story,” said Higgins. “I needed to visualize for my self a creature that was the essence of evil. I thought long and hard about her, redesigned her a thousand times. Once I had that sense of the protagonist, everything else revolved around her.
“I have been going through style changes since I had first started drawing comics, so every job is a learning curve and I think in Razorjack it shows more than in any other one book, as the first story arc pages were drawn 10 years ago and the last story arc pages this year.”
And of course there is the all too human pawns put into play, against the hero that has to find a way to thwart the end of our world.
While there are elements here you will have read in other comics, Higgins take remains fresh enough to stand out.
Higgins said the title was something he wanted to do because he wanted to explore his own creation for change.
“All I had wanted to do with Razorjack was to create my own world outside of what I had been commissioned to do all my professional life,” he said. “As much as I love working on Batman, Spiderman or even the Watchmen it has always been as a gun for hire.
“So the starting point for the story itself was a long time growing, and is based on what I enjoyed most and had not done yet. Then it grew into a more personal style that incorporates everything I enjoy, SF, police procedure, horror, murder mystery, this I call, ‘hard-boiled, SF noir’.”
Higgins said he used the title as a way to encompass what he personally enjoyed ads a fan of comics.
“I was literally trying to put in everything that I enjoyed doing, stuff that I had previously touched on in my work for other companies, like 2000 AD, which has that science fiction element,” he said. “Also Metal Hurlant, which was a French science fantasy comic book that I first read as an art student, that certainly influenced me.
“And most anything done by Richard Corben influenced me, horror that has an under current of humour.”
As for the art it is clean, dramatic, with shadings which capture the darkness of the storyline perfectly. You might expect that from Higgins given his resume, but trust he does not let that expectation down at all.
With Razorjack Higgins shows he is a complete creator with the ability to envision unique worlds, populate it with compelling characters, and through that combination tell a darned exciting, albeit dark tale.
Higgins then wraps it all in a nice package artistically.
So it’s not a surprise he likes the final product.
“I have always enjoyed as a reader of comic books to be shocked, delighted or amazed; to be taken to a place I have never been to before,” he said. “This is how I tried to make the world of Razorjack. I wanted to take the readers into my world were nothing is as you perceive it to be; to unsettle the readers preconceptions from page one.
“And, talking to readers at signings and conventions, who are now giving me feed back, I appear to have achieved that.”
Readers will also be thrilled to learn the story of Razorjack is not yet complete.
“I have written a new story and created new art for the collected edition. That certainly gave me an incentive to do more in the world of Razorjack,” he Higgins. “I found I still liked these characters, and want to do more. So I am just waiting for the right opportunity. The lead character Razorjack has stepped out side of the pages of the book, and now exists with in our world. She has been created by from my designs by the master sculptor Nigel Booth and formed into a prosthetic head. She is going to feature in a variety of projects. Keep checking at, www.turmoilcolour.com and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Razorjack/56068783540?ref=ts
to see where she appears next.”
Originally published as a mini series, the Collected Edition of Razorjack is a beautiful square-bound collection any comic fan should have in their collection.
Impressive in all aspects.
Look for it at http://www.comxcomics.com/titles
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- SHATTERED REALM
SHATTERED REALM
Written by Robert Brewer
Art by Damion Kendrick
Damage Arts Studio
The first thing you will notice with Shattered Realm in that artist Damion Kendrick has a thing for oversized ears and swords.
A fantasy tale in the tradition of Dungeons & Dragons, Shattered Realm has a tribe of elves, with ears which remind of a kangaroo. The look may sound funny when described, but artistically, they are a rather dramatic feature that sets these elves apart from the norm.
Interestingly, another denizen looks even more like a kangaroo, minus the tail.
Then like a lot of cartoon-influenced fantasy you add some huge weapons, and arcane magical energies, and away you go in terms of the ‘feel’ of the book artistically.
The colouring here is also bright, in particular the reds and greens, so the art really hits the eye with impact.
“The artistic style is a bit americanized anime,” said Kendrick. “When I started the book, anime was a huge influence for what I was going for because I'm a super fan of Japanese animation.
“My favorite comicbook artist is Joe Madureira and he was also a big influence in my work as well.
“So I would say the look I was going for with this particular story was already planned.
“I was influenced by a lot of movies! I like a lot of fantasy stuff, so I was looking at movies like Beast Master, Krull, and Dark Crystal, just to name a couple. Then there were cartoons like He-Man, and Thundercats.”
The storyline, through one issue, is about what you would expect from a fantasy tale. Demonic bad guy, beautiful damsel in distress, unsuspecting hero drawn into the fray. Yes, it has been done.
But, in fairness the strength of the story will only become clear as writer Robert Brewer takes us through subsequent issues. The series will really live and die on his ability to elevate Shattered Realm above a cliched rehash of other storylines. Through one issue it is impossible to gauge how successful he will be.
Kendrick said the story was initially from his concepts.
“The idea for the story was sort of a process for me, cause for a while I was doing another title called ‘Chang Fury’ and I wasn't really thinking of another project to do until I drew a quick sketch of this little elf warrior character for a game of D&D,” he said. “It was actually suggested that I turn him into a comicbook character, and then boom I start working on a story. I’m not the best of writers and I had a lot of ideas for the story. So a friend of mine Robert Brewer took the liberty of turning my story into something 10-times better!”
While the overall impact of the title will have to wait for future issues, the art and impact of issue one makes it worth grabbing. We will hope Shattered Realm goes in the right direction to make future issues worthwhile too.
Kendrick said the title has been a process to get from idea to print.
“The book took a long while to get out and it was a planned four-part series,” he said. “This being the first I'm very happy with how the story started off, but as far as the art, I’m hard on myself about my work and when I look back at it I cringe because a lot of mistakes I see. I have drawn the next three books and the art has gotten a lot better from the first one.”
So there is more story to be told as time allows.
“Hopefully the next issue of Shattered Realm will come shortly, but there are other titles I'm working on at the moment,” said Kendrick. “I'm finishing up a comic for my buddy Eric Kemphfer who did the inking and coloring in the first Shattered Realm. This will be his first self titled project called Stray! So that's looking pretty good!”
Kendrick added he just hopes readers like where Shattered Realm goes.
“I hope everyone will enjoy my book,” he said. “I put a lot of energy into it and will do my best to excite my readers.”
Check it out. Online readers can find the book Shattered Realm at http://www.facebook.com/l/d2d44;www.comixpress.com
They can also find the preview of Shattered Realm there as well.
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Robert Brewer
Art by Damion Kendrick
Damage Arts Studio
The first thing you will notice with Shattered Realm in that artist Damion Kendrick has a thing for oversized ears and swords.
A fantasy tale in the tradition of Dungeons & Dragons, Shattered Realm has a tribe of elves, with ears which remind of a kangaroo. The look may sound funny when described, but artistically, they are a rather dramatic feature that sets these elves apart from the norm.
Interestingly, another denizen looks even more like a kangaroo, minus the tail.
Then like a lot of cartoon-influenced fantasy you add some huge weapons, and arcane magical energies, and away you go in terms of the ‘feel’ of the book artistically.
The colouring here is also bright, in particular the reds and greens, so the art really hits the eye with impact.
“The artistic style is a bit americanized anime,” said Kendrick. “When I started the book, anime was a huge influence for what I was going for because I'm a super fan of Japanese animation.
“My favorite comicbook artist is Joe Madureira and he was also a big influence in my work as well.
“So I would say the look I was going for with this particular story was already planned.
“I was influenced by a lot of movies! I like a lot of fantasy stuff, so I was looking at movies like Beast Master, Krull, and Dark Crystal, just to name a couple. Then there were cartoons like He-Man, and Thundercats.”
The storyline, through one issue, is about what you would expect from a fantasy tale. Demonic bad guy, beautiful damsel in distress, unsuspecting hero drawn into the fray. Yes, it has been done.
But, in fairness the strength of the story will only become clear as writer Robert Brewer takes us through subsequent issues. The series will really live and die on his ability to elevate Shattered Realm above a cliched rehash of other storylines. Through one issue it is impossible to gauge how successful he will be.
Kendrick said the story was initially from his concepts.
“The idea for the story was sort of a process for me, cause for a while I was doing another title called ‘Chang Fury’ and I wasn't really thinking of another project to do until I drew a quick sketch of this little elf warrior character for a game of D&D,” he said. “It was actually suggested that I turn him into a comicbook character, and then boom I start working on a story. I’m not the best of writers and I had a lot of ideas for the story. So a friend of mine Robert Brewer took the liberty of turning my story into something 10-times better!”
While the overall impact of the title will have to wait for future issues, the art and impact of issue one makes it worth grabbing. We will hope Shattered Realm goes in the right direction to make future issues worthwhile too.
Kendrick said the title has been a process to get from idea to print.
“The book took a long while to get out and it was a planned four-part series,” he said. “This being the first I'm very happy with how the story started off, but as far as the art, I’m hard on myself about my work and when I look back at it I cringe because a lot of mistakes I see. I have drawn the next three books and the art has gotten a lot better from the first one.”
So there is more story to be told as time allows.
“Hopefully the next issue of Shattered Realm will come shortly, but there are other titles I'm working on at the moment,” said Kendrick. “I'm finishing up a comic for my buddy Eric Kemphfer who did the inking and coloring in the first Shattered Realm. This will be his first self titled project called Stray! So that's looking pretty good!”
Kendrick added he just hopes readers like where Shattered Realm goes.
“I hope everyone will enjoy my book,” he said. “I put a lot of energy into it and will do my best to excite my readers.”
Check it out. Online readers can find the book Shattered Realm at http://www.facebook.com/l/d2d44;www.comixpress.com
They can also find the preview of Shattered Realm there as well.
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- MILLENNIA WAR
Millennia War
Created & Written by Ashley A. Woods
Art by Ashley A. Woods
Indie
Combining elements of fantasy into a modern day setting requires a creative vision that is not easily realized.
Ashley A. Woods does an excellent job of carrying it off in her series Millennia War.
The storyline has elves actually existing. They have been pushed to the fringes by past conflict. Not surprisingly they aren’t real happy with the situation.
As a result of an age old conflict which seems to percolating to the surface again, this is a story of political intrigue as much as anything.
Five issues into the series there are more questions being unveiled than answers, which certainly makes the reader want to be around as Woods starts filling in the blanks.
As a storyteller, it is rather obvious Woods has a long-term vision of where she is going with the story. She has an excellent sense of timing with her writing. She is taking her time letting out the story a little at a time, not rushing things for the sake of climactic effect.
Of course Woods worked with the idea for Millennia War for two years before getting it to publication, so she should have a rather detailed vision.
“I began conceptualizing early 2004, round March or April, and kept refining the look and story of Millennia War until I finally published it March of 2006,” she said. “I didn't sell the first copies (issue #0) until May 2006 …
“Back in early 2004, I began drawing random designs for characters and I started becoming attached to them. So I created a story that would link all of their personal stories together. I was always a big fan of fantasy and action genres and I wanted to express that in my own story, too.”
As for her writing, Woods said she uses a number of influences to inspire her work.
“I like to study different storytelling styles in video games, anime, and movies and try to put what I learned into my own work or even take it a step further and create a whole different style for myself,” she said.
The art has a subdued, almost watercolour feel to it, which works well since the story is in a sense subdued as well. The use of muted, generally earth tone colours is also a nice touch given the connection to nature being brought to the forefront as the story of the elves is brought into tighter focus.
Again, there is an intimacy to the art work that tells you Woods has had a detailed idea for the story visually as well.
“I get inspired by my friends and even strangers,” said Woods. “I like to people watch so I try to study different characteristics they may have. I also gather inspiration from different artists Joshua Middleton, Jo Chen, Hiroaki Samura, as well as various anime such as Eureka Seven and Fullmetal Alchemist.”
Carrying both the writing and the art, Woods said both can prove the most challenging aspect of the book at different times.
“It depends on my mood,” she said. “Lately drawing has been harder for me, but I think it's because I've been spending a lot of time coloring that it feels weird for me to try to sketch at times. However during times like these I still force myself to take time out and draw a little so my hand won't continue to feel weird.
“Sometimes writing is harder for me but every once in a while the ideas come flowing out into my notebook so freely which of course gets me fired up even more to give those ideas form in my comics.”
As the book’s creator Woods said she is generally satisfied with Millennia War so far.
“In some ways yes but I know and feel that I can always become better,” she said. “I use every issue of Millennia War to practice my art.
“A lot of people have taken notice to this, too, and even come tell me how my art has gotten better with each issue. It lets me know that I'm doing something right.”
This is an excellent comic series that doesn’t fit into the mainstream because of the more ‘story’ oriented approach. This is not superheros, nor horror, nor comedy. While not fitting the traditional comic sub genres, it is definitely worth reading for those wanting something different, something more cerebral from a comic read.
The official site for the series, www.millenniawar.com
There, you can purchase copies of the comics, as well as read character bios, take a sneak peek at upcoming issues, and visit Woods’ blog to see more of her art and pics of various conventions she attends.
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Created & Written by Ashley A. Woods
Art by Ashley A. Woods
Indie
Combining elements of fantasy into a modern day setting requires a creative vision that is not easily realized.
Ashley A. Woods does an excellent job of carrying it off in her series Millennia War.
The storyline has elves actually existing. They have been pushed to the fringes by past conflict. Not surprisingly they aren’t real happy with the situation.
As a result of an age old conflict which seems to percolating to the surface again, this is a story of political intrigue as much as anything.
Five issues into the series there are more questions being unveiled than answers, which certainly makes the reader want to be around as Woods starts filling in the blanks.
As a storyteller, it is rather obvious Woods has a long-term vision of where she is going with the story. She has an excellent sense of timing with her writing. She is taking her time letting out the story a little at a time, not rushing things for the sake of climactic effect.
Of course Woods worked with the idea for Millennia War for two years before getting it to publication, so she should have a rather detailed vision.
“I began conceptualizing early 2004, round March or April, and kept refining the look and story of Millennia War until I finally published it March of 2006,” she said. “I didn't sell the first copies (issue #0) until May 2006 …
“Back in early 2004, I began drawing random designs for characters and I started becoming attached to them. So I created a story that would link all of their personal stories together. I was always a big fan of fantasy and action genres and I wanted to express that in my own story, too.”
As for her writing, Woods said she uses a number of influences to inspire her work.
“I like to study different storytelling styles in video games, anime, and movies and try to put what I learned into my own work or even take it a step further and create a whole different style for myself,” she said.
The art has a subdued, almost watercolour feel to it, which works well since the story is in a sense subdued as well. The use of muted, generally earth tone colours is also a nice touch given the connection to nature being brought to the forefront as the story of the elves is brought into tighter focus.
Again, there is an intimacy to the art work that tells you Woods has had a detailed idea for the story visually as well.
“I get inspired by my friends and even strangers,” said Woods. “I like to people watch so I try to study different characteristics they may have. I also gather inspiration from different artists Joshua Middleton, Jo Chen, Hiroaki Samura, as well as various anime such as Eureka Seven and Fullmetal Alchemist.”
Carrying both the writing and the art, Woods said both can prove the most challenging aspect of the book at different times.
“It depends on my mood,” she said. “Lately drawing has been harder for me, but I think it's because I've been spending a lot of time coloring that it feels weird for me to try to sketch at times. However during times like these I still force myself to take time out and draw a little so my hand won't continue to feel weird.
“Sometimes writing is harder for me but every once in a while the ideas come flowing out into my notebook so freely which of course gets me fired up even more to give those ideas form in my comics.”
As the book’s creator Woods said she is generally satisfied with Millennia War so far.
“In some ways yes but I know and feel that I can always become better,” she said. “I use every issue of Millennia War to practice my art.
“A lot of people have taken notice to this, too, and even come tell me how my art has gotten better with each issue. It lets me know that I'm doing something right.”
This is an excellent comic series that doesn’t fit into the mainstream because of the more ‘story’ oriented approach. This is not superheros, nor horror, nor comedy. While not fitting the traditional comic sub genres, it is definitely worth reading for those wanting something different, something more cerebral from a comic read.
The official site for the series, www.millenniawar.com
There, you can purchase copies of the comics, as well as read character bios, take a sneak peek at upcoming issues, and visit Woods’ blog to see more of her art and pics of various conventions she attends.
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- LAZERMAN
Lazerman
Created & Written by Alan Hebert Jr.
Art by Chris Hebert
HB Comics
Talk about a retro feel to a comic, I got that in spades when I read the first four issues of Lazerman created by Alan Hebert Jr.. The story had a sort of early Spiderman feel, mixed with a touch of DC’s Booster Gold, partly because of Lazerman’s yellow costume, but also because of the use of humour as a major element of the storyline.
Humour can be one of the toughest things to carry off, whether as a stand up comic, in a movie, or in a comic book, and Hebert does it rather well.
The story is also about a young man realizing he suddenly has superpowers. He finds out being the hero he always dreamed of being is not as easy as one might expect, even if you have powers. Yes that was the early premise of Spidey, but that element has long been lost in mainstream comics. That innocence is refreshing again with Lazerman.
Alan Hebert said he wanted to create something of a throwback title.
“It really comes down to a love for classic superheros, particularly the classic Marvel and the DC heroes,” he said. “Super heroes made in the last 20 years are not like those iconic characters. I wanted something that reflected them, not the more modern, grittier heroes. My sense of humor made me also want something that I could satire those heroes with. Lazerman is the perfect mix of those two aspects …
“As I stated before, the “classic” heroes are the biggest influences. I’m a huge fan of Stan Lee’s early Marvel work. The writer who had the most influence on me though was Peter David. His run on Incredible Hulk is what got me into comics.”
Alan Hebert said as a result he actually looks at the character as something that has developed since his youth.
“It actually took us 15 years from a development standpoint,” he said. “We've gone through multiple scripts and drafts, but what ultimately happened is we grew up with the characters. We learned a lot during that development phase, and we taught ourselves how to create comics in the process. I think we ended up with a much better book as a result.
“Fifteen years is a long time to work on a character. It’s enough time to think about just about every aspect of him. What we had, before the first issue even hit, was a fully developed character. We knew exactly who Lazerman, and the characters around him were, as well as where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do with him.”
Chris Hebert’s art is perfect for the story. It has a ‘cartoon’ look, reminiscent of Archie comics, and it’s a nice contrast to the ‘steroid-enhanced superhero-look’ of most comics in the genre today.
Matching art-style to the writing is important, and with Lazerman they have achieved that balance.
Chris Hebert said the series brought focus to his work.
“Well, when I first started Lazerman, my own style was very much in flux,” he said. “I had spent a lot of time trying to emulate Jim Lee and what I considered the "standard" comic book style. As I started Lazerman, I had just begun to accept that my own style was a leaning a bit more towards the ‘cartoony’ side, and instead of fighting it had finally decided to embrace what was coming naturally to me.
“Ironically, Joe Maduera and Ed Mcguinist had just come into the limelight at the time, and they have been my strongest influences ever since.”
Chris said the art may not have started out as the vision of the comic, but it has evolved to fit what they are doing with the title.
“It's funny, because Alan has always been a traditional guy,” he said. “I know he always pictured the most ‘classic’ look for what he crafted to be a ‘classic’ feeling character; like a George Perez or a Romita Sr.
“Of course then I came along with a very animation-esque style, something that I think is very different from that classic feel I know Alan favours.
“Ultimately I think like any good collaboration, or developing idea, it takes on a life of its own, and evolves.
“Now I don't think I could picture Lazerman looking any other way.”
So what’s next for the titles? Apparently zombies.
“We have so much planned for Lazerman, and our whole universe,” said Alan Hebert. “Lazerman’s next story arc ‘Night of the Necrolord’, going from issue #5 to issue #7, will involve zombies. I believe we have a completely original take on zombies, and I can’t wait till we publish the issues.”
This is not the best comic I have read in recent months, but for sheer fun it’s up near the top of the list.
It is also enough of a throwback to a subtler time in superhero stories that it is a welcome contrast to what passes as the norm these days.
You can follow Lazerman at http://www.facebook.com/l/cd83e;www.hbcomics.com, and they also run a weekly production blog, entitled the ‘LAZERBLOG’. You can find that on our MySpace page at http://www.facebook.com/l/cd83e;www.myspace.com/surge38
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Created & Written by Alan Hebert Jr.
Art by Chris Hebert
HB Comics
Talk about a retro feel to a comic, I got that in spades when I read the first four issues of Lazerman created by Alan Hebert Jr.. The story had a sort of early Spiderman feel, mixed with a touch of DC’s Booster Gold, partly because of Lazerman’s yellow costume, but also because of the use of humour as a major element of the storyline.
Humour can be one of the toughest things to carry off, whether as a stand up comic, in a movie, or in a comic book, and Hebert does it rather well.
The story is also about a young man realizing he suddenly has superpowers. He finds out being the hero he always dreamed of being is not as easy as one might expect, even if you have powers. Yes that was the early premise of Spidey, but that element has long been lost in mainstream comics. That innocence is refreshing again with Lazerman.
Alan Hebert said he wanted to create something of a throwback title.
“It really comes down to a love for classic superheros, particularly the classic Marvel and the DC heroes,” he said. “Super heroes made in the last 20 years are not like those iconic characters. I wanted something that reflected them, not the more modern, grittier heroes. My sense of humor made me also want something that I could satire those heroes with. Lazerman is the perfect mix of those two aspects …
“As I stated before, the “classic” heroes are the biggest influences. I’m a huge fan of Stan Lee’s early Marvel work. The writer who had the most influence on me though was Peter David. His run on Incredible Hulk is what got me into comics.”
Alan Hebert said as a result he actually looks at the character as something that has developed since his youth.
“It actually took us 15 years from a development standpoint,” he said. “We've gone through multiple scripts and drafts, but what ultimately happened is we grew up with the characters. We learned a lot during that development phase, and we taught ourselves how to create comics in the process. I think we ended up with a much better book as a result.
“Fifteen years is a long time to work on a character. It’s enough time to think about just about every aspect of him. What we had, before the first issue even hit, was a fully developed character. We knew exactly who Lazerman, and the characters around him were, as well as where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do with him.”
Chris Hebert’s art is perfect for the story. It has a ‘cartoon’ look, reminiscent of Archie comics, and it’s a nice contrast to the ‘steroid-enhanced superhero-look’ of most comics in the genre today.
Matching art-style to the writing is important, and with Lazerman they have achieved that balance.
Chris Hebert said the series brought focus to his work.
“Well, when I first started Lazerman, my own style was very much in flux,” he said. “I had spent a lot of time trying to emulate Jim Lee and what I considered the "standard" comic book style. As I started Lazerman, I had just begun to accept that my own style was a leaning a bit more towards the ‘cartoony’ side, and instead of fighting it had finally decided to embrace what was coming naturally to me.
“Ironically, Joe Maduera and Ed Mcguinist had just come into the limelight at the time, and they have been my strongest influences ever since.”
Chris said the art may not have started out as the vision of the comic, but it has evolved to fit what they are doing with the title.
“It's funny, because Alan has always been a traditional guy,” he said. “I know he always pictured the most ‘classic’ look for what he crafted to be a ‘classic’ feeling character; like a George Perez or a Romita Sr.
“Of course then I came along with a very animation-esque style, something that I think is very different from that classic feel I know Alan favours.
“Ultimately I think like any good collaboration, or developing idea, it takes on a life of its own, and evolves.
“Now I don't think I could picture Lazerman looking any other way.”
So what’s next for the titles? Apparently zombies.
“We have so much planned for Lazerman, and our whole universe,” said Alan Hebert. “Lazerman’s next story arc ‘Night of the Necrolord’, going from issue #5 to issue #7, will involve zombies. I believe we have a completely original take on zombies, and I can’t wait till we publish the issues.”
This is not the best comic I have read in recent months, but for sheer fun it’s up near the top of the list.
It is also enough of a throwback to a subtler time in superhero stories that it is a welcome contrast to what passes as the norm these days.
You can follow Lazerman at http://www.facebook.com/l/cd83e;www.hbcomics.com, and they also run a weekly production blog, entitled the ‘LAZERBLOG’. You can find that on our MySpace page at http://www.facebook.com/l/cd83e;www.myspace.com/surge38
— CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- LEPRECHUAN
Leprechaun
Written by Zach Hunchar
Art by Kris Carter
Bluewater Comics
Leprechaun is a story readers will at least be familiar with on some level given the character is drawn from the world of movies. Leprechaun is a Lions Gate film property, one of the horror tales which has made it to the big screen.
With the comic version, at least after having read issue #3 of the series, the story line is not heavily horror. The art as well is far from dark, or with a horror mood.
The storyline here is far more mainstream, with the Leprechaun character appearing more as a hero, fighting old tribal enemies set against a modern city landscape.
The storyline is interesting, although I will hedge that by reiterating I have seen only one issue, part way into the storyline.
Writer Zach Hunchar said the idea for the story inspiration was twofold.
“There is the easy answer and then there is the more complex answer,” he said. “The easy one is this series was pulled directly from the horror film franchise of the same name from Lions Gate Films.
“The more complex answer developed from numerous conversations from publisher Darren Davis and myself. We began working with one another when we were both working for Lions Gate so there was shared history involving the characters. We wanted to be as true as possible to our time there but also wanted to create something that lent itself to a mini- or ongoing-series.”
The characters developed at different paces through the creation process, said Hunchar.
“It varied by character. The hardest was the Leprechaun (named Iubdan) himself,” he said. “It was incredibly challenging maintaining the violent and horrific tendencies of the film version, yet finding subtle facets of the character that might show some vulnerability and regret. With a self-contained story, you are less interested in finding a hook to get the reader/viewer to come back again. With serialized stories, little bursts of chaos will eventually bore the reader.
“The human protagonists start out with sort of stereotypical attributes but we worked very hard to have them grow and evolve. We're talking small movement but enough to avoid the sense of stagnation.”
As for the art by Kris Carter, it is clean and crisp, especially for the fantasy races in the story. The look of the humans works a bit less for me.
Still, overall, I think the art works for the way the story line is being developed.
Hunchar said he sees places he could have improved the book, but being a creative person that is always the case.
“From a creative stand-point, I think I'm like most creative types I'm never finished tweaking it. That being said, I think it's still very cool,” he said.
There is more story to be told too.
“Well, I think that there are more adventures ahead with them trying to beat the newest curse placed upon the Leprechaun. Plus more humor and a bit of romance thrown in,” said Hunchar.
The story blends the existing world we live in, and fantasy world of the Leprechaun very smoothly. It is the strength of the story.
Certainly worth checking it out at www.bluewaterprod.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Zach Hunchar
Art by Kris Carter
Bluewater Comics
Leprechaun is a story readers will at least be familiar with on some level given the character is drawn from the world of movies. Leprechaun is a Lions Gate film property, one of the horror tales which has made it to the big screen.
With the comic version, at least after having read issue #3 of the series, the story line is not heavily horror. The art as well is far from dark, or with a horror mood.
The storyline here is far more mainstream, with the Leprechaun character appearing more as a hero, fighting old tribal enemies set against a modern city landscape.
The storyline is interesting, although I will hedge that by reiterating I have seen only one issue, part way into the storyline.
Writer Zach Hunchar said the idea for the story inspiration was twofold.
“There is the easy answer and then there is the more complex answer,” he said. “The easy one is this series was pulled directly from the horror film franchise of the same name from Lions Gate Films.
“The more complex answer developed from numerous conversations from publisher Darren Davis and myself. We began working with one another when we were both working for Lions Gate so there was shared history involving the characters. We wanted to be as true as possible to our time there but also wanted to create something that lent itself to a mini- or ongoing-series.”
The characters developed at different paces through the creation process, said Hunchar.
“It varied by character. The hardest was the Leprechaun (named Iubdan) himself,” he said. “It was incredibly challenging maintaining the violent and horrific tendencies of the film version, yet finding subtle facets of the character that might show some vulnerability and regret. With a self-contained story, you are less interested in finding a hook to get the reader/viewer to come back again. With serialized stories, little bursts of chaos will eventually bore the reader.
“The human protagonists start out with sort of stereotypical attributes but we worked very hard to have them grow and evolve. We're talking small movement but enough to avoid the sense of stagnation.”
As for the art by Kris Carter, it is clean and crisp, especially for the fantasy races in the story. The look of the humans works a bit less for me.
Still, overall, I think the art works for the way the story line is being developed.
Hunchar said he sees places he could have improved the book, but being a creative person that is always the case.
“From a creative stand-point, I think I'm like most creative types I'm never finished tweaking it. That being said, I think it's still very cool,” he said.
There is more story to be told too.
“Well, I think that there are more adventures ahead with them trying to beat the newest curse placed upon the Leprechaun. Plus more humor and a bit of romance thrown in,” said Hunchar.
The story blends the existing world we live in, and fantasy world of the Leprechaun very smoothly. It is the strength of the story.
Certainly worth checking it out at www.bluewaterprod.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- EMASTE 8
Emaste 8
Written by Jere
Art by Jere
Pyramid Graphic Novels
There is nothing about Emaste 8 by Jere that I don’t like.
The storyline through the first two issues is intriguing to say the least. There are enough story hooks to keep readers wanting more, more, more.
The characters are on the darker edge of society, a place that always seems the richest place from which to mine good stories.
Interestingly, Jere said he draws from real life for the characters.
“The characters are all based on my siblings and close friends, the hardship and trials we’ve gone through over the years,” he said.
Jere said the book took several years to formulate, growing from a initially perceived solo storyline through to the team title it is now.
As a writer Jere said he draws from both comics and movies.
“My first influences were Chris Claremont, and John Byrne from Uncanny X-Men Brian Azzarello, and from there endless influence including writer/directors like Quentin Tarentino and Martin Scorsese,” he said.
The black and white art is rendered wonderfully as well. There is a darkness which fits the story perfectly.
Jere said the dark film noir look is a definite influence for his art.
This is one of those cases where you can see how the creator Jere has a perfect handle on what he wants from the story, both in terms of text, but equally having an artistic vision which compliments his writings.
I am particularly impressed by the strong facial expressions of the work, and the overall Gothic feel. The results are drop dead gorgeous female characters and strong male leads to balance the story.
Jere said he generally finds writing his greatest challenge.
“It goes back and forth,” he said. “I think the writing is challenging, but I love it. I consider myself a writer who can draw.”
Jere said the story to-date is something he is very satisfied with, adding the response has been generally positive.
“Yes I’m pretty satisfied with the completed look,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback. The negative was mostly geared towards the story content.”
The story of Emaste 8 is far from complete said Jere, and that’s good news because readers will want more, much more. He said the characters will be “saving the world from absolute destruction, then after doing so, be hunted down for doing just that.”
Check it out at http://www.myspace.com/pyramidgraphicnovels
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Written by Jere
Art by Jere
Pyramid Graphic Novels
There is nothing about Emaste 8 by Jere that I don’t like.
The storyline through the first two issues is intriguing to say the least. There are enough story hooks to keep readers wanting more, more, more.
The characters are on the darker edge of society, a place that always seems the richest place from which to mine good stories.
Interestingly, Jere said he draws from real life for the characters.
“The characters are all based on my siblings and close friends, the hardship and trials we’ve gone through over the years,” he said.
Jere said the book took several years to formulate, growing from a initially perceived solo storyline through to the team title it is now.
As a writer Jere said he draws from both comics and movies.
“My first influences were Chris Claremont, and John Byrne from Uncanny X-Men Brian Azzarello, and from there endless influence including writer/directors like Quentin Tarentino and Martin Scorsese,” he said.
The black and white art is rendered wonderfully as well. There is a darkness which fits the story perfectly.
Jere said the dark film noir look is a definite influence for his art.
This is one of those cases where you can see how the creator Jere has a perfect handle on what he wants from the story, both in terms of text, but equally having an artistic vision which compliments his writings.
I am particularly impressed by the strong facial expressions of the work, and the overall Gothic feel. The results are drop dead gorgeous female characters and strong male leads to balance the story.
Jere said he generally finds writing his greatest challenge.
“It goes back and forth,” he said. “I think the writing is challenging, but I love it. I consider myself a writer who can draw.”
Jere said the story to-date is something he is very satisfied with, adding the response has been generally positive.
“Yes I’m pretty satisfied with the completed look,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback. The negative was mostly geared towards the story content.”
The story of Emaste 8 is far from complete said Jere, and that’s good news because readers will want more, much more. He said the characters will be “saving the world from absolute destruction, then after doing so, be hunted down for doing just that.”
Check it out at http://www.myspace.com/pyramidgraphicnovels
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Friday, October 23, 2009
Review -- LAZARUS: Immortal Coils
Lazarus: Immortal Coils
Created and Written by Joseph Gauthier
Art by Carlos Rafael Duarte
10 Worlds Studio
The idea of an immortal force for good existing to fight a cabal of evil is certainly not a new storyline in terms of comic books.
It’s not even all that new when you add the feel of ‘religious’ birth for the character, and make the cabal a legion of demons.
So Lazarus: Immortal Coils is not breathtakingly new. Who cares.
This is an excellent comic. Creator Joseph Gauthier has taken some familiar precepts in terms of a story, but kept it fresh enough to hold interest through the first four issues at least.
One of the ways Gauthier manages to keep the story working is by using a rather minamalistic writing style. There is, for example, a 12-page section in Issue #1 has barely a written word on them, and only two have any actual character dialogue at all.
I will admit I’d prefer a bit more ‘story’, but I get the feeling these early issues are setting the title’s mood through the art, with the expectation Gauthier will write with greater depth moving forward.
So while Gauthier keeps it simple, writing only when it helps propel the story forward, often doling out the dialogue as if the words are gems, it does put a lot of the onus for liking the books on the artist.
Fortunately Carlos Rafael Duarte carries the pressure of making Lazarus easily with his excellent pencil work. This guy knows how to draw action scenes, and there are a ton of action scenes in this story.
Duarte can capture facial emotion too.
This book is heavily art reliant, and Duarte’s style is hot. A definite comic art talent to watch.
Gauthier said he connected with Duarte through a third party.
“Carlos was hired through Glass House Graphics run by David Campti who helped me put the art team together,” he said. “I went through a lot of artists, but Carlos’ attention to detail was what singled him out. It's hard to ask what his influences are because the relationship for something like this is different from what you expect or read in interviews. I don't want to give the impression there's no personal investment from an agency artist, there has to be, but a lot of weight is put on the client to know what he wants and brings it to the table. You have to know what you want and it has to be in the script. You can’t assume the artist will know a movie, or has read the same book, especially if the artist is overseas. The client, in this case the writer, becomes the Art Director. Even if you don't know much, you have to know what looks right for the book and guide the artist where he needs to go. Because I approached L:IC like a film, I went about it in a similar fashion,
going to different artists to design the elements that made a package I then gave to Carlos who drew from that. Not everything was in there; some things had to be done on the fly.
“Carlos and I didn't have much conversation about style, because I was already happy with what I saw him do. In fact, his style at the time was so classical it got him the job. I knew I wanted flashback scenes and modern scenes to be drawn differently. The flashbacks had to be more classical, and the present more stylized. There were many historical references, like Jesus' hair. Normally done long, I read a Time magazine article that disputed the men of that time would wear long hair, so I gave Jesus short hair. The coloring style was taken from the Kazuaki Kiriya's Japanese live action film adaptation of Casshern.”
As for Lazarus the character, Gauthier said he is one he had in his head for ages before finally being able to bring him to the page.
“A long time; I'd always had the character in mind going as far back as high school, and how he's presented in L:IC was always there, but he was much lighter in color,” he said, adding a laugh. “I started developing Immortal Coils in 2004 with Alex Lugo who was attached as the artist. After the pages, colors, and lettering were done it was 2007. Add another year to get the publishing deal. Then, tack on another year before getting the courage to publish myself, and you’re looking at five years.”
While having nearly a half decade to fine tune Lazarus, Gauthier said he really doesn’t look much different from his original ideas.
“Surprisingly, he hasn't changed all that much since when I first conceived this notion of Jesus resurrecting Lazarus as a more human reaction, that Lazarus can't die, and what it feels like to live forever as this ‘unplanned occurrence’,” he said. “Visually, I always see him as a modern rogue in boots, openly brandishing knives, guns, and riding a motorcycle. His character was always in place and was essential to attracting people to him emotionally. There was never anything overtly courageous about him. In many ways he was suicidal. The world he inhabits changed more than he did as I discussed
telling a straight action adventure story, supernatural horror, or both.
“Characters like the Speaker and the Wandering Jew (Ahasverus/Verus) were later added as flip sides to Lazarus.
“Having Lazarus fight shape shifting demons came from my not wanting to limit the stories in any way. I want the freedom to take Lazarus wherever I can and have him go up against whatever I want.”
Gauthier said the book is one he was proud of as it came off the press, but looking back he sees things he would do differently.
“I am very proud of the work I did on L:IC. It remains a crowning achievement, and the compliments keep coming in,” he said. “Problem is ideas depreciate just like cars and computers. The minute you drive a new car off the lot or buy a computer the next model is already in the works.
“An artist is constantly growing and when Lazarus was in production I saw things I could do better, new angles and perspectives to try, and character dynamics to explore, but it was too late. There's only so much room you have with an artist to make changes once they have the script. I remember in issues one and two there were pages I wanted redone, one being a double page spread.
“Carlos made the changes, but wasn't happy about it. Not after going through the proofing process, drawing, inking, getting the ok, then having to go back and do it again, even if I did pay for the extra pages. He was absolutely right for feeling that way.
“The point is the ideas never stop. The story I would do now is not the same as what I did in 2004, but once it’s out of your hands, you have to accept it's done. Everything you would do differently goes into the next story. L:IC is one of the best looking independently produced books out there, but at the end of a four year process, when the book is in my hand, I know I can do better.
“I’m very happy with the acceptance we’ve received. The people who’ve seen and read the book love it. We had a person who was at our signing in 2008 when issue one was published through Markosia, who came back for the trade this year so he can read the whole story. That really blew me away. I hugged the guy so hard I think I upset his personal space.
“Artists are cynical about their work. It's not often a writer or artist will look at something they've done and say they're proud of how it came out, and when they do it's meaningful. I'm very proud of L:IC. It continues to confirm I'm a writer and that I'm good at what I do.”
Gauthier will have an opportunity to put the things he has learned doing the first story arc of Lazarus as he continues to build on the character’s story.
“The next title speaks for itself - ‘Suicidal Tendencies’. Lazarus is on a journey that will force him to face things he’s avoided for centuries and take him to darker places,” he said. “He’s a walking dead man in a hell of his own making who needs a spiritual resurrection. The next story has him connecting with someone, a woman, for the first time since the death of his friend and family in 33AD. Lazarus is like anyone who has gone through trauma - you get bit by a dog, you're afraid of them. Lazarus feels betrayed by us and distances himself. Right now, he's fighting for himself out of revenge. He can’t fight for us because he doesn’t even like us. The next story is the first turn of the page, the first step in his transformation into a warrior and our hero.”
Make sure you check out Lazarus at www.10worldsstudio.com. You can also go directly to Indy Planet at www.indyplanet.com and search under Lazarus.
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- Adam Wreck and The Kalosian Space Pirates
Adam Wreck and the Kalosian Space Pirates
Art by Michael S. Bracco
Written by Micheal S. Bracco
Sometimes a comic simply encapsulates the heart or the medium. Adam Wreck and the Kalosian Space Pirates is one of those books.
In they're purest form comics are about kids, at least in my mind. Certainly the medium is diverse enough to allow the creation of books for adults, and that's what keeps someone like me interested. But, ultimately there needs to be comics which are the treasures of young people. They need ti be something they look forward to spending their allowance on. They need to have a story a kid can get inside and pretend they are part of the adventure.
When I was young, Batman was that sort of title. They really are more geared to an older teen audience today.
The Phantom fit the bill too.
Today young readers can still find adventures they can daydream over in titles such as Jay Piscopo's Capt'n Eli (previously reviewed here), and a great story like Adam Wreck.
Adam Wreck is the star of the story, a young man in the age of space travel . He is the son of the 'famous geniuses' Albert and Betty Wreck. You can imagine that a young boy with famous parents faces some challenges whether he's able to fly a space craft, or not?
Mix is some evil-type space pirates, and you have a comic that reminds of the Saturday morning space serials of an earlier age.
Wreck is the hero, but there are memorable characters along for the ride, like the sort of anti-hero Voric who is a rogue, but a basically good one, and the despicable Captain Lipos, leader of the pirate scum.
Michael Bracco said the story was something he wanted to do for young readers, but still hold true to his interest in scifi.
“I am a real big science fiction dork. I love to read it, watch it, write it and most especially draw it,” he said. “ For the past four years I have been working on a Science Fiction series that was geared towards an 18 - 35 year old audience. As a full time middle school art teacher, I have also spent the last seven years working with kids and talking to them about art and how it fits into their lives. A big part of how they perceive art is in movies and comics and after spending enough time with them I started to really want to write something that they could connect with, have fun with and learn from.
“Once I started work on Adam Wreck I realized that bringing it to work with me was the best thing I could do. The kids gave me feedback on the drawings and the story and they in turn got to see me making art in the real world. It all came full circle and made the process very meaningful for me and hopefully for them too.”
The art is what initially catches your attention with Adam Wreck. It is rendered in three colours only, black and white, with red added to amazing effect throughout. The art literally pops off the page because of the unusual colouration scheme.
Bracco said the use of red was something he thought would add a unique quality to the book.
“I really wanted to do something that had a signature look and that used color in a different way,” he said. “I wanted something poppy and fun that made the reader feel connected with the world itself. The spot color and the blockier, bolder drawings really felt animated to me and it was a fun art problem throughout.”
Past the colouration, Bracco's art has a 'fun quality' using simpler pencil strokes that gives it more of a Saturday morning cartoon-look, than a book based on a highly realistic style.
“My art tends to be very rendered and detailed and again for Adam Wreck I wanted to play in some uncharted territory,” he said. “I enjoyed using the simpler line work as it allowed me to do so much of the art in the computer. The gray and orange tones play a major role in shaping up the Adam Wreck universe and were just fun for me to experiment with.”
As for the storyline, Bracco keeps it light, but interesting. This isn't a story with guns blazing and blood splattering. Nor, for it's intended audience should it be. There is intrigue, but the young Wreck perseveres and triumphs. Just like any good young hero should.
“Usually my work, which is more geared towards an older audience, tends to be a lot darker and more tragic.” said Bracco. “I take a lot of inspiration from Terry Gilliam, Frank Miller, Brian k Vaughn and Luc Besson.
“In this case I got to really step outside my comfort zone in terms of story and let the kid in me out. I guess it ends up being a mixture between my adult influences and as you said, all of the fantastic Saturday morning hours spent in front of the TV.”
Bracco said the story was one that just came to him one day, more, or less, out of the blue.
“It's usually the art for me but in this case it was the story. It hit me like a brick over the head one day driving home from work,” he said. “From there I immediately started drawing out all the characters. Captain Lipos shot out of my hand, while Voric was a more exhaustive character to nail down a visual for. I think because where Lipos just had to fit an archetype, Voric needed to be a more complex character that could grow with the story and be taken into (if any) future installments.”
Bracco said the finished book is one he likes – a lot.
“It was a heck of a lot of fun to draw and write for and going through it after I finished I found myself chuckling and excited, which I think is a pretty good measure,” he said.
Bracco said he now hopes the intended audience likes it enough to allow him to let Adam wreck continue to explore outer space. One read and you'll hope to see more too.
“This book was Adam's crash course in an alien universe,” said Bracco. “If I get the chance to continue it, I really want to show The vastness of alien society and how Adam and his family would fit in. I think it could be really interesting for the family to integrate into a giant, multi planet, multi species galaxy as strangers and see how another world deals with problems like the environment, energy, war, poverty and all the things that we deal with.”
You can find out more about Adam Wreck at adamwreck.websiteanimal.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Art by Michael S. Bracco
Written by Micheal S. Bracco
Sometimes a comic simply encapsulates the heart or the medium. Adam Wreck and the Kalosian Space Pirates is one of those books.
In they're purest form comics are about kids, at least in my mind. Certainly the medium is diverse enough to allow the creation of books for adults, and that's what keeps someone like me interested. But, ultimately there needs to be comics which are the treasures of young people. They need ti be something they look forward to spending their allowance on. They need to have a story a kid can get inside and pretend they are part of the adventure.
When I was young, Batman was that sort of title. They really are more geared to an older teen audience today.
The Phantom fit the bill too.
Today young readers can still find adventures they can daydream over in titles such as Jay Piscopo's Capt'n Eli (previously reviewed here), and a great story like Adam Wreck.
Adam Wreck is the star of the story, a young man in the age of space travel . He is the son of the 'famous geniuses' Albert and Betty Wreck. You can imagine that a young boy with famous parents faces some challenges whether he's able to fly a space craft, or not?
Mix is some evil-type space pirates, and you have a comic that reminds of the Saturday morning space serials of an earlier age.
Wreck is the hero, but there are memorable characters along for the ride, like the sort of anti-hero Voric who is a rogue, but a basically good one, and the despicable Captain Lipos, leader of the pirate scum.
Michael Bracco said the story was something he wanted to do for young readers, but still hold true to his interest in scifi.
“I am a real big science fiction dork. I love to read it, watch it, write it and most especially draw it,” he said. “ For the past four years I have been working on a Science Fiction series that was geared towards an 18 - 35 year old audience. As a full time middle school art teacher, I have also spent the last seven years working with kids and talking to them about art and how it fits into their lives. A big part of how they perceive art is in movies and comics and after spending enough time with them I started to really want to write something that they could connect with, have fun with and learn from.
“Once I started work on Adam Wreck I realized that bringing it to work with me was the best thing I could do. The kids gave me feedback on the drawings and the story and they in turn got to see me making art in the real world. It all came full circle and made the process very meaningful for me and hopefully for them too.”
The art is what initially catches your attention with Adam Wreck. It is rendered in three colours only, black and white, with red added to amazing effect throughout. The art literally pops off the page because of the unusual colouration scheme.
Bracco said the use of red was something he thought would add a unique quality to the book.
“I really wanted to do something that had a signature look and that used color in a different way,” he said. “I wanted something poppy and fun that made the reader feel connected with the world itself. The spot color and the blockier, bolder drawings really felt animated to me and it was a fun art problem throughout.”
Past the colouration, Bracco's art has a 'fun quality' using simpler pencil strokes that gives it more of a Saturday morning cartoon-look, than a book based on a highly realistic style.
“My art tends to be very rendered and detailed and again for Adam Wreck I wanted to play in some uncharted territory,” he said. “I enjoyed using the simpler line work as it allowed me to do so much of the art in the computer. The gray and orange tones play a major role in shaping up the Adam Wreck universe and were just fun for me to experiment with.”
As for the storyline, Bracco keeps it light, but interesting. This isn't a story with guns blazing and blood splattering. Nor, for it's intended audience should it be. There is intrigue, but the young Wreck perseveres and triumphs. Just like any good young hero should.
“Usually my work, which is more geared towards an older audience, tends to be a lot darker and more tragic.” said Bracco. “I take a lot of inspiration from Terry Gilliam, Frank Miller, Brian k Vaughn and Luc Besson.
“In this case I got to really step outside my comfort zone in terms of story and let the kid in me out. I guess it ends up being a mixture between my adult influences and as you said, all of the fantastic Saturday morning hours spent in front of the TV.”
Bracco said the story was one that just came to him one day, more, or less, out of the blue.
“It's usually the art for me but in this case it was the story. It hit me like a brick over the head one day driving home from work,” he said. “From there I immediately started drawing out all the characters. Captain Lipos shot out of my hand, while Voric was a more exhaustive character to nail down a visual for. I think because where Lipos just had to fit an archetype, Voric needed to be a more complex character that could grow with the story and be taken into (if any) future installments.”
Bracco said the finished book is one he likes – a lot.
“It was a heck of a lot of fun to draw and write for and going through it after I finished I found myself chuckling and excited, which I think is a pretty good measure,” he said.
Bracco said he now hopes the intended audience likes it enough to allow him to let Adam wreck continue to explore outer space. One read and you'll hope to see more too.
“This book was Adam's crash course in an alien universe,” said Bracco. “If I get the chance to continue it, I really want to show The vastness of alien society and how Adam and his family would fit in. I think it could be really interesting for the family to integrate into a giant, multi planet, multi species galaxy as strangers and see how another world deals with problems like the environment, energy, war, poverty and all the things that we deal with.”
You can find out more about Adam Wreck at adamwreck.websiteanimal.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Review -- The Slightly Askew Adventures of Inspector Ham & Eggs
The Slightly Askew Adventures of Inspector Ham & Eggs
Art by Lauren Monardo
Written by Stephen Lindsay
Brain Food Comics
Sometimes comic books today take themselves too seriously.
Certainly, the medium should be more respected as both an art form, and as a way to tell stories than it is in North America, especially as adult entertainment, but there is also room for just fun-loving comic efforts.
Who will ever forget Scrooge McDuck, or who didn’t love the concept of Dark Wing Duck, even though it started out as an animated series.
Credit the team of writer Stephen Lindsay and artist Lauren Monardo with remembering those simpler comic themes when they came up with The Slightly Askew Adventures of Inspector Ham & Eggs.
This is one of those tongue-in-cheek, highly entertaining, sort of spoof, and just plain fun efforts which really make comic books what they are at their heart.
Inspector Ham is a portly piggie who is a direct take on the famous Sherlock Holmes.
Now anytime you use the great Holmes as a template you’re on the right track in terms of doing a good story. Holmes is perhaps the greatest arch type private investigator ever created, and has permeated fiction in many ways. I mean the holodeck episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation with Data as Holmes were among the best of that super series.
Lindsay and Monardo use a world populated by cartoon style animals which is a long way from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original take on Holmes, but darned it’s so much fun it still works.
How can you go wrong with a wild boar bad guy, and his German accented second in command raccoon, and their legion of bad guy rabbits?
Mix in a snappy dressing gorilla thug and an overly enthusiastic hound cop, among the various characters and you start to see the fun.
As fun as it is, the story is for adults, as a few decapitated heads dripping with blood show rather clearly.
Against the backdrop of the characters Lindsay writes a pretty straight forward Holmes-style mystery, although the humour is thicker for obvious reasons.
Monardo said the idea for Inspector Ham just sort of emerged from conversations with Lindsay, and out of a need to do something.
“It's a funny story, actually, well to Stephen and I, anyway,” she said. “I was wrapping up work on Venture Bros. Season 3 storyboards and I knew I needed another job, and soon! Stephen and I tended to IM (instant message) each-other throughout the day and just joke around or discuss comic business, so I was talking to him about other jobs I might do. As a lark I said that maybe I'd become a spy, but not just any spy, a deli spy! I'd work for Boar's Head Brand and spy on other lunch meat companies like Hormel, Oscar Meyer and the like. And my code name would be Inspector Ham. To punctuate this I drew a tiny human detective body with a massive pig's head and a huge magnifying glass. The two of us instantly fell in love with the character and the idea and things just spiraled out from there.”
The characters ended up being designed over the Internet too.
“The character development took place mostly through Instant Messaging between the two of us,” said Lindsay. “We would drop a name and then build the character's personality around that. Lots of banter back and forth simply trying to make each other laugh. When it worked, we went with it! After that, the characters really develop further as the story progresses.
“I take a fairly organic approach to my writing. I don't plan out too far ahead. This way, as I'm writing and throwing the characters into various situations, they start to react almost on their own. It's those reactions that really further the development of them.”
Lindsay said his influences for writing are varied, making it easy to get into something a little off the norm such as Inspector Ham.
“I have a ton of comic writers whom I really respect and look upon as influences. Steve Niles, Robert Kirkman, Frank Miller; all the greats,” he said. “But, then I draw a lot from other areas of writing as well. Influences like Stephen King and Jack Kerouac, all the way back to Mark Twain.
“For this particular book, I draw a lot of influence from the old, campy Batman television series. Not so much with the humor, as Ham & Eggs is a bit more raw than the Batman TV show, but in the interactions and relationships. It sounds weird, but that show carries the same vibe through it that I try to instill within Ham & Eggs.”
Monardo said the first chat really laid the foundation for the book.
“As far as the character personalities and building the cast, I'd say about 85 per cent of the characters were created in that initial chat we had,” she said. “I drew Inspector Ham, then I said about having an evil black boar villain named Baron VonBlackforest. Then Stephen suggested a side-kick, which I opposed at first, until he said ‘No, no, it would be a chubby little chick named Eggs’. Ham & Eggs...how could I refuse?
“We then added, at Stephen's request, the character that became Colonel Strudel, who at first was just ‘a raccoon with an eye-patch and a monocle on the same eye.
“Aesthetically, they started out different than they are. If one were to look at the original designs, I had drawn them with Thomas Nast the political cartoonist on the brain. They all had almost caricature-esque heads and smaller bodies, but not anthropomorphized, just animal bodies standing on the back legs. As I drew the comic and got further into the issue, though, they sort of found their own way of being drawn. The characters started to change bit by bit until they found a comfort zone, and that's where they are now. And I think they're quite happy there.”
Artistically, Monardo could be working for Disney. It’s perfect for the title. The lines are sharp. The ability to instill emotion into the faces of animal characters wonderfully well-done.
Inspector Ham is particularly well-drawn, with the portly hero, memorable for the first look. The shot of him smoking the familiar pipe on the cover of issue one is a classic, and quite frankly I might have made it the entire cover rather than the main element of a collage.
Monardo said she ended up teaming with Lindsay on Inspector Ham after working together on a previous project.
“Well, we had just finished working together on Stephen's first book, "Jesus Hates Zombies: Those Slack-Jaw Blues" and we really had a great time of it,” said Monardo. “Through that I managed to trick Stephen into trusting me enough to do designs etc. I mean ... errr .... all kidding aside, we worked really well together! As far as storytelling, we both came from ‘film’ type backgrounds, he was an independent film-maker and I was an independent animator, so we had a lot of the same sensibilities as far as compositions, pacing, acting etc.
“The look of the series was originally meant to appear like a children's book, bright colors, cute characters, innocent and unsuspecting. Then, due to a major reveal via the splash page on page 4 of issue 1, the reader is quickly informed that it's anything but innocent and unsuspecting. We wanted to let the audience know right off the bat that there would be unexpected twists and turns, and that this wouldn't be your average animal cartoon.”
Like many comics today, Inspector Ham began online, building momentum before going to a print edition.
“We ran it as a web-comic for all of issue 1 and part of issue 2, and if I remember correctly we started doing two pages per week but went down to one since we both had real jobs, and didn't have the time to do both,” said Monardo. “But I'd say that if we came up with the idea in December, I did character designs and Stephen started scripting and we had the first three pages done in January. After that we shopped it around to a few publishers here and there but decided ultimately to self-publish, which is what we're doing now.”
Monardo said the response to Inspector Ham has been beyond expectations.
“I think in a lot of ways it surpassed our expectations,” she said. “Going into this we weren't sure if anybody but us would find it funny, but went ahead with it anyway. I think we both figured if we loved it so much it would come through the work and attract other people to it too and if not at least we had fun.
“I think the real test as far as acceptance and audience will be when the volume 1 trade paperback is released soon. Right now we have the individual booklet issues but they aren't cost effective and they're hard to get massive exposure from. People love buying Graphic Novels and Trades now, more and more people are choosing them over booklets, so we have high hopes for this one.”
Monardo added in some cases people have gone the extra mile in supporting the title.
“Also, I really have to thank our buddy Socko Jones and all the crew at Comic Book Jones for some of the success we have had so far with it,” she said. “They've been a massive support for us and we owe a lot to them. Plus we wouldn't have Detective Jack Valentine Jones if it weren't for them; he's Socko's real dog!”
The good news is there is more to come from the world of Inspector Ham.
“We actually have two Ham & Eggs side dishes in the works,” said Monardo. “One is the origin of Colonel Strudel, called ‘St. Severin's Day Murders’. It'll probably have some humor in it, but it'll be far darker in tone than the core series. I don't know if you've noticed but he's one messed up little dude.
“The side dishes are all drawn by different talented folks, too. For example, I'm plotting the SSDM book, Stephen's scripting, and our amazingly talented friend Daniel Thollin is doing all the artwork. He does amazing work, especially horror stuff, and his promo images have me floored, I can't wait to get this book done.
“The second book planned is actually a bit of an homage to the H&E origin, it's called ‘On the Trail With a Curly Tail, -- the caption I wrote on the very first Inspector Ham drawing-- and will be written half by Stephen and half by myself. We have 12 or so outstanding artists lined up to do five-page stories on this! One of them, Danilo Beyruth, has already completed his story and it is amazing. We're really blessed to know so many talented people.”
Overall, if you like comics that take you back to a simpler time in the medium this is it.
The book, the third issue just coming out now, also provides a darned fine story, coupled with great art. A definite winner of its type of comic.
www.inspectorham.com is the comic's official site, and www.brainfoodcomicsonline.com is their self-publishing site. The booklets can be purchased through their printer at www.indyplanet.com!
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Art by Lauren Monardo
Written by Stephen Lindsay
Brain Food Comics
Sometimes comic books today take themselves too seriously.
Certainly, the medium should be more respected as both an art form, and as a way to tell stories than it is in North America, especially as adult entertainment, but there is also room for just fun-loving comic efforts.
Who will ever forget Scrooge McDuck, or who didn’t love the concept of Dark Wing Duck, even though it started out as an animated series.
Credit the team of writer Stephen Lindsay and artist Lauren Monardo with remembering those simpler comic themes when they came up with The Slightly Askew Adventures of Inspector Ham & Eggs.
This is one of those tongue-in-cheek, highly entertaining, sort of spoof, and just plain fun efforts which really make comic books what they are at their heart.
Inspector Ham is a portly piggie who is a direct take on the famous Sherlock Holmes.
Now anytime you use the great Holmes as a template you’re on the right track in terms of doing a good story. Holmes is perhaps the greatest arch type private investigator ever created, and has permeated fiction in many ways. I mean the holodeck episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation with Data as Holmes were among the best of that super series.
Lindsay and Monardo use a world populated by cartoon style animals which is a long way from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original take on Holmes, but darned it’s so much fun it still works.
How can you go wrong with a wild boar bad guy, and his German accented second in command raccoon, and their legion of bad guy rabbits?
Mix in a snappy dressing gorilla thug and an overly enthusiastic hound cop, among the various characters and you start to see the fun.
As fun as it is, the story is for adults, as a few decapitated heads dripping with blood show rather clearly.
Against the backdrop of the characters Lindsay writes a pretty straight forward Holmes-style mystery, although the humour is thicker for obvious reasons.
Monardo said the idea for Inspector Ham just sort of emerged from conversations with Lindsay, and out of a need to do something.
“It's a funny story, actually, well to Stephen and I, anyway,” she said. “I was wrapping up work on Venture Bros. Season 3 storyboards and I knew I needed another job, and soon! Stephen and I tended to IM (instant message) each-other throughout the day and just joke around or discuss comic business, so I was talking to him about other jobs I might do. As a lark I said that maybe I'd become a spy, but not just any spy, a deli spy! I'd work for Boar's Head Brand and spy on other lunch meat companies like Hormel, Oscar Meyer and the like. And my code name would be Inspector Ham. To punctuate this I drew a tiny human detective body with a massive pig's head and a huge magnifying glass. The two of us instantly fell in love with the character and the idea and things just spiraled out from there.”
The characters ended up being designed over the Internet too.
“The character development took place mostly through Instant Messaging between the two of us,” said Lindsay. “We would drop a name and then build the character's personality around that. Lots of banter back and forth simply trying to make each other laugh. When it worked, we went with it! After that, the characters really develop further as the story progresses.
“I take a fairly organic approach to my writing. I don't plan out too far ahead. This way, as I'm writing and throwing the characters into various situations, they start to react almost on their own. It's those reactions that really further the development of them.”
Lindsay said his influences for writing are varied, making it easy to get into something a little off the norm such as Inspector Ham.
“I have a ton of comic writers whom I really respect and look upon as influences. Steve Niles, Robert Kirkman, Frank Miller; all the greats,” he said. “But, then I draw a lot from other areas of writing as well. Influences like Stephen King and Jack Kerouac, all the way back to Mark Twain.
“For this particular book, I draw a lot of influence from the old, campy Batman television series. Not so much with the humor, as Ham & Eggs is a bit more raw than the Batman TV show, but in the interactions and relationships. It sounds weird, but that show carries the same vibe through it that I try to instill within Ham & Eggs.”
Monardo said the first chat really laid the foundation for the book.
“As far as the character personalities and building the cast, I'd say about 85 per cent of the characters were created in that initial chat we had,” she said. “I drew Inspector Ham, then I said about having an evil black boar villain named Baron VonBlackforest. Then Stephen suggested a side-kick, which I opposed at first, until he said ‘No, no, it would be a chubby little chick named Eggs’. Ham & Eggs...how could I refuse?
“We then added, at Stephen's request, the character that became Colonel Strudel, who at first was just ‘a raccoon with an eye-patch and a monocle on the same eye.
“Aesthetically, they started out different than they are. If one were to look at the original designs, I had drawn them with Thomas Nast the political cartoonist on the brain. They all had almost caricature-esque heads and smaller bodies, but not anthropomorphized, just animal bodies standing on the back legs. As I drew the comic and got further into the issue, though, they sort of found their own way of being drawn. The characters started to change bit by bit until they found a comfort zone, and that's where they are now. And I think they're quite happy there.”
Artistically, Monardo could be working for Disney. It’s perfect for the title. The lines are sharp. The ability to instill emotion into the faces of animal characters wonderfully well-done.
Inspector Ham is particularly well-drawn, with the portly hero, memorable for the first look. The shot of him smoking the familiar pipe on the cover of issue one is a classic, and quite frankly I might have made it the entire cover rather than the main element of a collage.
Monardo said she ended up teaming with Lindsay on Inspector Ham after working together on a previous project.
“Well, we had just finished working together on Stephen's first book, "Jesus Hates Zombies: Those Slack-Jaw Blues" and we really had a great time of it,” said Monardo. “Through that I managed to trick Stephen into trusting me enough to do designs etc. I mean ... errr .... all kidding aside, we worked really well together! As far as storytelling, we both came from ‘film’ type backgrounds, he was an independent film-maker and I was an independent animator, so we had a lot of the same sensibilities as far as compositions, pacing, acting etc.
“The look of the series was originally meant to appear like a children's book, bright colors, cute characters, innocent and unsuspecting. Then, due to a major reveal via the splash page on page 4 of issue 1, the reader is quickly informed that it's anything but innocent and unsuspecting. We wanted to let the audience know right off the bat that there would be unexpected twists and turns, and that this wouldn't be your average animal cartoon.”
Like many comics today, Inspector Ham began online, building momentum before going to a print edition.
“We ran it as a web-comic for all of issue 1 and part of issue 2, and if I remember correctly we started doing two pages per week but went down to one since we both had real jobs, and didn't have the time to do both,” said Monardo. “But I'd say that if we came up with the idea in December, I did character designs and Stephen started scripting and we had the first three pages done in January. After that we shopped it around to a few publishers here and there but decided ultimately to self-publish, which is what we're doing now.”
Monardo said the response to Inspector Ham has been beyond expectations.
“I think in a lot of ways it surpassed our expectations,” she said. “Going into this we weren't sure if anybody but us would find it funny, but went ahead with it anyway. I think we both figured if we loved it so much it would come through the work and attract other people to it too and if not at least we had fun.
“I think the real test as far as acceptance and audience will be when the volume 1 trade paperback is released soon. Right now we have the individual booklet issues but they aren't cost effective and they're hard to get massive exposure from. People love buying Graphic Novels and Trades now, more and more people are choosing them over booklets, so we have high hopes for this one.”
Monardo added in some cases people have gone the extra mile in supporting the title.
“Also, I really have to thank our buddy Socko Jones and all the crew at Comic Book Jones for some of the success we have had so far with it,” she said. “They've been a massive support for us and we owe a lot to them. Plus we wouldn't have Detective Jack Valentine Jones if it weren't for them; he's Socko's real dog!”
The good news is there is more to come from the world of Inspector Ham.
“We actually have two Ham & Eggs side dishes in the works,” said Monardo. “One is the origin of Colonel Strudel, called ‘St. Severin's Day Murders’. It'll probably have some humor in it, but it'll be far darker in tone than the core series. I don't know if you've noticed but he's one messed up little dude.
“The side dishes are all drawn by different talented folks, too. For example, I'm plotting the SSDM book, Stephen's scripting, and our amazingly talented friend Daniel Thollin is doing all the artwork. He does amazing work, especially horror stuff, and his promo images have me floored, I can't wait to get this book done.
“The second book planned is actually a bit of an homage to the H&E origin, it's called ‘On the Trail With a Curly Tail, -- the caption I wrote on the very first Inspector Ham drawing-- and will be written half by Stephen and half by myself. We have 12 or so outstanding artists lined up to do five-page stories on this! One of them, Danilo Beyruth, has already completed his story and it is amazing. We're really blessed to know so many talented people.”
Overall, if you like comics that take you back to a simpler time in the medium this is it.
The book, the third issue just coming out now, also provides a darned fine story, coupled with great art. A definite winner of its type of comic.
www.inspectorham.com is the comic's official site, and www.brainfoodcomicsonline.com is their self-publishing site. The booklets can be purchased through their printer at www.indyplanet.com!
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- Webspynn
Webspynn
Art by Heriberto Bezerril (Issue 1)
Toni Masdiono (Issue 2)
Written by A.J. Hill (Issue 1)
Created by Tyran Eades (took over writing Issue 2)
Indie
An unmined motherlode of inspiration for comic books in the rich First Nations culture. Webspynn, which is a superhero story begins to connect with the myth and culture of American Indians, and that element, while only touched on in the first two issues was certainly a crucial one in grabbing my attention.
Now the name and the look will draw comparisons to Marvel’s Spiderman, but A.J. Hill has a more mature take on the storyline than the original Spidey, and in general than most stuff from that character today. Webspynn stands on its own, even if he is influenced by the spider and has web capabilities.
Eades said the Spiderman comparison is expected, and the old Marvel character was an influence.
“I believe me and A. J. wanted to introduce the character without a lot of the usual Spider-man-like tones,” said Eades. “Granted when talking about Webspynn #1, there are a lot of similar tones to Spider-man, such as the hot female supporting character from next door, the villainy of bank robbers, and the hero springing into action at the hint of danger.
“We wanted a few major points to be made with the first issue. Webspynn is not your typical spider-like superhero. The character’s next door neighbor is actually a stripper. Both the hero and his natural identity will always be balance in every issue of the book. These are just some of the ideas that created the tone of the initial story.”
Hill said the concept is to be darker than most mainstream heroes.
“The need to see a spider-themed hero as Predator, Stalker, Hunter, and Fearmonger. There's no shortage of spider-themed characters in comics but I feel that a great many of these characters gloss over the spider for the most part,” he said. “There's a real emphasis on the spider's webbing, strength, wall-crawling, but not a whole lot about just how creepy they are. Some of our comic mainstays started out that way but the focus either shifted, or the characters are established in such a way now that even their enemies don't pay homage to just how unsettling one of nature's more perfect predators, personified -- talk about alliteration -- is supposed to be.
“This is about a scary vigilante SOB who is made all the more scary by his detachment from the human condition as well as his primal connection to all things that go bump in the night and draw even more fear from us.”
Interestingly Webspynn was actually a character that became more than the creator ever expected it would be.
“To tell you the truth, Webspynn was never suppose to be in his own book,” said Eades. “My original purpose for the character was simple, a hero with a cool costume. The character was originally a part of a group of vigilante teens and in this team, Webspynn was more of a secondary character with little history or background information.
“The idea for Webspynn to receive his own book came at the Baltimore Comic Con in 2007. I decided months before the convention to draw Spider-man, one of my favorite Marvel characters, with a spider-like character of my own. Just weeks before the Con, I decided to have one of our colorist to bring the half Spider-man and half Webspynn picture to life. This picture ended up as a banner at the BCC which attracted the attention of A. J., of course the rest is history.”
Hill picked up on the story.
“This iteration of Webspynn starting taking shape right after BCC '07 and hasn't stopped evolving since,” he said. “It was slow going at first since there was so much ground to cover, and we really didn't want to tread a lot of the same ground we'd seen in other comics.”
Hill said Webspynn as a character developed rather naturally once the idea of creating a book around him came into focus.
“Tyran had an amazing character design on display at BCC '07 and I couldn't pass up the chance to give function to the form of Webspynn,” he said. “It was getting a lot of attention and I thought it was overdue for a lot of concrete answers to stand up to the tidal wave of positive inquiry. I guess I said all the right things and Tyran gave me a shot at putting my own spin on the character. There, that was your prerequisite pun.”
Eades said it was a case of putting the right team together to bring Webspynn to life.
“This matching between creator, writer, and character continued to develop over the holiday season of 2007 to the spring of 2008. Just about once every month, Webspynn, A. J., and myself convened at a local mall to talk shop,” he said. “I’m surprise we got the project off the ground with so much off topic stuff from the happenings of Marvel and DC.”
A superhero’s success is often tied to the look. The Hulk with yellow skin? I don’t think so.
Webspynn has a modern, classic look. What does that mean? Well it combines traditional hero in spandex style, but with a more dramatic white and blue suit with a modern flair. It’s a winning look.
Eades said he simply advertised for an artist and that brought options his way.
“I had an idea of how I wanted the book to look so I posted a note on the website, Deviant Art, for a sequential artist,” he said. “I was looking for a dynamic artist who could deliver great action sequences and show true facial expressions and emotions in their line work.
“The first artist for the project, Heriberto, was great but declined on continuing with the project. Luckily, I kept in contact with one of the other artist from the posting, Toni Masdiono, the current Webspynn artist. Toni and my relationship on the book is almost perfect. He is becoming more familiar with the character and supporting cast, while I get the chance to flex my writing skills.”
Artistically, Heriberto Bezerril did a solid job in issue one, but Webspynn took a major step forward in issue two with Toni Masdiono coming on stream as penciler. The book has typical colour work on most pages, but at times intersperses dramatic black and white pages where he uses the blue of Webspynn’s suit as a highlight colour to great effect. I could get into a whole book done in that fashion.
It is difficult to come up with fresh hero concept these days, and while Hill’s Webspynn borrows from Spidey, this is still a pretty solid effort in creating a new take on the genre.
The strength will come from tieing the story to the old myths and stories of the First Nation’s culture, and hopefully Hill uses that connection to full effect in future issues.
Hill and Eades are happy with what is being created with Webspynn.
“I can't speak for the acceptance/audience part of that question but I can definitely say that the final product blew me away,” said Hill. “The art team, the ones doing the real legwork here, turned out panel after panel of professional work. It's the equal or better of anything I've seen on the shelves at my LCS (local comic shop) and I'd honestly pay to see our penciler on one of Marvel or DC's top franchise books.”
Eades added, “the book has come a long way from the initial ideas to its actual printed form. I am pleased with the response from the many individuals that have bought the book.”
There is more to come from Webspynn too.
“The plan, from where I'm sitting, is to explore more of Andrew's roots and Webspynn's psychology,” said Hill. “I'm not going to call Andrew shallow but he definitely wears his heart on his sleeve. He's a simple man with simple motivations and the potential to be incredibly complicated. It'll be a lot of fun to watch as he realizes what his true power and purpose is.
“Webspynn, on the other hand, is a totally different person. More to the point, he's not so much a person as a force of nature. He's been bridled in the form of Andrew and like any wild animal, he wants to break free. He's an eternal creature in an ephemeral world with people a lot less mighty and a lot less mindful than he is.
“I really want to explore how uncomfortable he feels in Andrew's skin while Andrew discovers the thing crawling underneath his skin.”
Eades said the initial story is laying the foundation for the future.
“The current story arc, ‘Gather the Warriors’, will introduce a lot of supporting characters and subplot elements,” he said. “A lot of these supporting characters will be made up of normal folks like Milani while, the others will be ‘supers’ or ‘baddies’. The GTW story arc is set up from issues 2, the prologue, to issue 6 and issue 7, as the epilogue.”
“Beyond the GTW story arc, I can’t say but my intention is to bring back A. J. to do a story arc or two. This will give me the chance to do some minis and one-shots featuring Webspynn and some of my other characters.”
Check Webspynn out at www.heritagecomicshsq.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Art by Heriberto Bezerril (Issue 1)
Toni Masdiono (Issue 2)
Written by A.J. Hill (Issue 1)
Created by Tyran Eades (took over writing Issue 2)
Indie
An unmined motherlode of inspiration for comic books in the rich First Nations culture. Webspynn, which is a superhero story begins to connect with the myth and culture of American Indians, and that element, while only touched on in the first two issues was certainly a crucial one in grabbing my attention.
Now the name and the look will draw comparisons to Marvel’s Spiderman, but A.J. Hill has a more mature take on the storyline than the original Spidey, and in general than most stuff from that character today. Webspynn stands on its own, even if he is influenced by the spider and has web capabilities.
Eades said the Spiderman comparison is expected, and the old Marvel character was an influence.
“I believe me and A. J. wanted to introduce the character without a lot of the usual Spider-man-like tones,” said Eades. “Granted when talking about Webspynn #1, there are a lot of similar tones to Spider-man, such as the hot female supporting character from next door, the villainy of bank robbers, and the hero springing into action at the hint of danger.
“We wanted a few major points to be made with the first issue. Webspynn is not your typical spider-like superhero. The character’s next door neighbor is actually a stripper. Both the hero and his natural identity will always be balance in every issue of the book. These are just some of the ideas that created the tone of the initial story.”
Hill said the concept is to be darker than most mainstream heroes.
“The need to see a spider-themed hero as Predator, Stalker, Hunter, and Fearmonger. There's no shortage of spider-themed characters in comics but I feel that a great many of these characters gloss over the spider for the most part,” he said. “There's a real emphasis on the spider's webbing, strength, wall-crawling, but not a whole lot about just how creepy they are. Some of our comic mainstays started out that way but the focus either shifted, or the characters are established in such a way now that even their enemies don't pay homage to just how unsettling one of nature's more perfect predators, personified -- talk about alliteration -- is supposed to be.
“This is about a scary vigilante SOB who is made all the more scary by his detachment from the human condition as well as his primal connection to all things that go bump in the night and draw even more fear from us.”
Interestingly Webspynn was actually a character that became more than the creator ever expected it would be.
“To tell you the truth, Webspynn was never suppose to be in his own book,” said Eades. “My original purpose for the character was simple, a hero with a cool costume. The character was originally a part of a group of vigilante teens and in this team, Webspynn was more of a secondary character with little history or background information.
“The idea for Webspynn to receive his own book came at the Baltimore Comic Con in 2007. I decided months before the convention to draw Spider-man, one of my favorite Marvel characters, with a spider-like character of my own. Just weeks before the Con, I decided to have one of our colorist to bring the half Spider-man and half Webspynn picture to life. This picture ended up as a banner at the BCC which attracted the attention of A. J., of course the rest is history.”
Hill picked up on the story.
“This iteration of Webspynn starting taking shape right after BCC '07 and hasn't stopped evolving since,” he said. “It was slow going at first since there was so much ground to cover, and we really didn't want to tread a lot of the same ground we'd seen in other comics.”
Hill said Webspynn as a character developed rather naturally once the idea of creating a book around him came into focus.
“Tyran had an amazing character design on display at BCC '07 and I couldn't pass up the chance to give function to the form of Webspynn,” he said. “It was getting a lot of attention and I thought it was overdue for a lot of concrete answers to stand up to the tidal wave of positive inquiry. I guess I said all the right things and Tyran gave me a shot at putting my own spin on the character. There, that was your prerequisite pun.”
Eades said it was a case of putting the right team together to bring Webspynn to life.
“This matching between creator, writer, and character continued to develop over the holiday season of 2007 to the spring of 2008. Just about once every month, Webspynn, A. J., and myself convened at a local mall to talk shop,” he said. “I’m surprise we got the project off the ground with so much off topic stuff from the happenings of Marvel and DC.”
A superhero’s success is often tied to the look. The Hulk with yellow skin? I don’t think so.
Webspynn has a modern, classic look. What does that mean? Well it combines traditional hero in spandex style, but with a more dramatic white and blue suit with a modern flair. It’s a winning look.
Eades said he simply advertised for an artist and that brought options his way.
“I had an idea of how I wanted the book to look so I posted a note on the website, Deviant Art, for a sequential artist,” he said. “I was looking for a dynamic artist who could deliver great action sequences and show true facial expressions and emotions in their line work.
“The first artist for the project, Heriberto, was great but declined on continuing with the project. Luckily, I kept in contact with one of the other artist from the posting, Toni Masdiono, the current Webspynn artist. Toni and my relationship on the book is almost perfect. He is becoming more familiar with the character and supporting cast, while I get the chance to flex my writing skills.”
Artistically, Heriberto Bezerril did a solid job in issue one, but Webspynn took a major step forward in issue two with Toni Masdiono coming on stream as penciler. The book has typical colour work on most pages, but at times intersperses dramatic black and white pages where he uses the blue of Webspynn’s suit as a highlight colour to great effect. I could get into a whole book done in that fashion.
It is difficult to come up with fresh hero concept these days, and while Hill’s Webspynn borrows from Spidey, this is still a pretty solid effort in creating a new take on the genre.
The strength will come from tieing the story to the old myths and stories of the First Nation’s culture, and hopefully Hill uses that connection to full effect in future issues.
Hill and Eades are happy with what is being created with Webspynn.
“I can't speak for the acceptance/audience part of that question but I can definitely say that the final product blew me away,” said Hill. “The art team, the ones doing the real legwork here, turned out panel after panel of professional work. It's the equal or better of anything I've seen on the shelves at my LCS (local comic shop) and I'd honestly pay to see our penciler on one of Marvel or DC's top franchise books.”
Eades added, “the book has come a long way from the initial ideas to its actual printed form. I am pleased with the response from the many individuals that have bought the book.”
There is more to come from Webspynn too.
“The plan, from where I'm sitting, is to explore more of Andrew's roots and Webspynn's psychology,” said Hill. “I'm not going to call Andrew shallow but he definitely wears his heart on his sleeve. He's a simple man with simple motivations and the potential to be incredibly complicated. It'll be a lot of fun to watch as he realizes what his true power and purpose is.
“Webspynn, on the other hand, is a totally different person. More to the point, he's not so much a person as a force of nature. He's been bridled in the form of Andrew and like any wild animal, he wants to break free. He's an eternal creature in an ephemeral world with people a lot less mighty and a lot less mindful than he is.
“I really want to explore how uncomfortable he feels in Andrew's skin while Andrew discovers the thing crawling underneath his skin.”
Eades said the initial story is laying the foundation for the future.
“The current story arc, ‘Gather the Warriors’, will introduce a lot of supporting characters and subplot elements,” he said. “A lot of these supporting characters will be made up of normal folks like Milani while, the others will be ‘supers’ or ‘baddies’. The GTW story arc is set up from issues 2, the prologue, to issue 6 and issue 7, as the epilogue.”
“Beyond the GTW story arc, I can’t say but my intention is to bring back A. J. to do a story arc or two. This will give me the chance to do some minis and one-shots featuring Webspynn and some of my other characters.”
Check Webspynn out at www.heritagecomicshsq.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Review -- The Book Of Sorrow
The Book of Sorrow
Art by Tim Hall
Written by Jason Phillips
Indie
To say I was at first blown away by, and slightly confused by the storyline in The Book of Sorrow would not be an understatement.
Actually in the world of comic book stories I am quite satisfied when a story has the level of complexity that I have to think my way through it, and Jason Phillips makes you think here.
The good thing is that once you fall into the dream world Phillips is building the story around, you find a deliciously malevolent world, filled with nastiness, and yet there is always the side of good which holds out the promise things will work out … although I’m not sure as this story moves forward it’s going to be a victory without its share of casualties.
Against the back drop of the battle in the dream world is a love story, which while the reason the war rages, takes a backseat to the action over the first two issues of this excellent series.
Interwoven into the story are memorable, albeit dark characters like the dangerous jester Despair, and the powerful Grieve.
While a dark story, Tim Hall said the influence was still life.
“Our own personal lives are the underlining engine that drive the story,” he said, adding “outside influences from movies, art, and music help to create the fiction that surrounds it.”
Coming from life, or not, the book took time to coalesce into written form.
“We worked on the initial idea for about two-years,” said Hall. “Neither of us have a ton of time on our hands so when we would get together we would just talk comics and listen to music. We did not want to develop anything that did not have reasoning behind it. We've always hated those ‘just because’ story lines. Because of this it took a little time to figure out were we wanted to go.”
Hall said the characters are an element where they looked inward for inspiration.
“Most of the main characters designs and back stories come from their own personal trials within the world of absolution,” he said. “Every character originated from thinking about how a real person would react in these extra ordinary situations. Some of these characters are reflections of people that have touched our own lives. Secondary characters mainly come from functionality. Most of the characters in our book were thought up by thinking about, ‘how would this work?’ Once you think like that things just kind of fall into place.”
Interestingly, in general terms Hall said as a co-creator, what he reads is not his biggest influence.
“I would say music is probably my primary influence,” he said, adding “a few writers that have influenced me are Clive Barker, not just his novels but also his intricate views on how art is created. James O'barr because he was really the first comic book creator that showed me comics could be more than superheros. David Mack because of his ability to use this medium to showcase his own emotional stories through artistic metaphor. Finally Shakespeare was a big influence on the narrative sections of the book.”
A perfect match to the story is the art provided by Tim Hall, who is also the series co-creator with Phillips.
Hall uses a dramatic, style for the stunning black and white art which immediately draws attention.
I particularly like how he tones down the art with softer shading hen dealing with the ‘real world’ love story, then uses a heavier pen stroke in shading the art on the other side of the veil. It creates a noticeable difference between the worlds which works well since they have a decidedly different dramatic atmosphere.
Hall and Phillips have worked together on The Book of Sorrow from the start.
“At first, just like the story, we literally sat in a room and I drew as Jason sat there looking over my shoulder,” said Hall. “And we would go over everything together. This book is very much the two of us. Later once things got started I continued to draw and would show pages to Jason, as they were being done, to get an opinion on layouts and style. I know he has a vision for the book as do I and I am adamant about capturing both.
Hall said he draws his art influences from a broad spectrum of creators and artists.
“Most of my influences come from various places like movies, music, comics, video games, and art,” he said. “To name a few artist that have inspired me, James O'barr, David Mack, Jason Shawn Alexander, Greg Capullo, Kerry Gammill, CP Smith, James Jean, Random unknowns that I've seen here and there but do not know their names, and the list goes on and on.
“I like a lot of different styles and I think you can take things from all of them. If you ever get to the point were you only like this one guy then your style will probably start looking like that one guy. Having multiple influences really helps to keep your style your own.”
The co-creators are rightfully proud of their effort on Book of Sorrow to-date, and they promise more to come.
“So far we are proud of how it looks and we feel like we have made a major step towards a style that is uniquely our own,” said Hall. “The look is an ever-changing process expect a slight change in style in issue three.
“Acceptance has been surprising because we have only been promoting at our local shop. The audience seems to range from all different types. We have not tried to grab one particular group. With any type of art, you are really trying to produce something that you yourself are pleased with, never thinking about what appeals to others. All you can do is hope people appreciate what you've created afterwards.”
Hall said there is certainly more to come for the title, but he is not releasing any secrets.
“Expect many issues to come,” he said. “We don't want to give away any major plot points so all we can say is there is a lot in store.”
The Book of Sorrow may be dark, but one that you should mark as must read material. A top indie offering which deserve a broad audience.
For more information check out www.thebookofsorrow.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
Art by Tim Hall
Written by Jason Phillips
Indie
To say I was at first blown away by, and slightly confused by the storyline in The Book of Sorrow would not be an understatement.
Actually in the world of comic book stories I am quite satisfied when a story has the level of complexity that I have to think my way through it, and Jason Phillips makes you think here.
The good thing is that once you fall into the dream world Phillips is building the story around, you find a deliciously malevolent world, filled with nastiness, and yet there is always the side of good which holds out the promise things will work out … although I’m not sure as this story moves forward it’s going to be a victory without its share of casualties.
Against the back drop of the battle in the dream world is a love story, which while the reason the war rages, takes a backseat to the action over the first two issues of this excellent series.
Interwoven into the story are memorable, albeit dark characters like the dangerous jester Despair, and the powerful Grieve.
While a dark story, Tim Hall said the influence was still life.
“Our own personal lives are the underlining engine that drive the story,” he said, adding “outside influences from movies, art, and music help to create the fiction that surrounds it.”
Coming from life, or not, the book took time to coalesce into written form.
“We worked on the initial idea for about two-years,” said Hall. “Neither of us have a ton of time on our hands so when we would get together we would just talk comics and listen to music. We did not want to develop anything that did not have reasoning behind it. We've always hated those ‘just because’ story lines. Because of this it took a little time to figure out were we wanted to go.”
Hall said the characters are an element where they looked inward for inspiration.
“Most of the main characters designs and back stories come from their own personal trials within the world of absolution,” he said. “Every character originated from thinking about how a real person would react in these extra ordinary situations. Some of these characters are reflections of people that have touched our own lives. Secondary characters mainly come from functionality. Most of the characters in our book were thought up by thinking about, ‘how would this work?’ Once you think like that things just kind of fall into place.”
Interestingly, in general terms Hall said as a co-creator, what he reads is not his biggest influence.
“I would say music is probably my primary influence,” he said, adding “a few writers that have influenced me are Clive Barker, not just his novels but also his intricate views on how art is created. James O'barr because he was really the first comic book creator that showed me comics could be more than superheros. David Mack because of his ability to use this medium to showcase his own emotional stories through artistic metaphor. Finally Shakespeare was a big influence on the narrative sections of the book.”
A perfect match to the story is the art provided by Tim Hall, who is also the series co-creator with Phillips.
Hall uses a dramatic, style for the stunning black and white art which immediately draws attention.
I particularly like how he tones down the art with softer shading hen dealing with the ‘real world’ love story, then uses a heavier pen stroke in shading the art on the other side of the veil. It creates a noticeable difference between the worlds which works well since they have a decidedly different dramatic atmosphere.
Hall and Phillips have worked together on The Book of Sorrow from the start.
“At first, just like the story, we literally sat in a room and I drew as Jason sat there looking over my shoulder,” said Hall. “And we would go over everything together. This book is very much the two of us. Later once things got started I continued to draw and would show pages to Jason, as they were being done, to get an opinion on layouts and style. I know he has a vision for the book as do I and I am adamant about capturing both.
Hall said he draws his art influences from a broad spectrum of creators and artists.
“Most of my influences come from various places like movies, music, comics, video games, and art,” he said. “To name a few artist that have inspired me, James O'barr, David Mack, Jason Shawn Alexander, Greg Capullo, Kerry Gammill, CP Smith, James Jean, Random unknowns that I've seen here and there but do not know their names, and the list goes on and on.
“I like a lot of different styles and I think you can take things from all of them. If you ever get to the point were you only like this one guy then your style will probably start looking like that one guy. Having multiple influences really helps to keep your style your own.”
The co-creators are rightfully proud of their effort on Book of Sorrow to-date, and they promise more to come.
“So far we are proud of how it looks and we feel like we have made a major step towards a style that is uniquely our own,” said Hall. “The look is an ever-changing process expect a slight change in style in issue three.
“Acceptance has been surprising because we have only been promoting at our local shop. The audience seems to range from all different types. We have not tried to grab one particular group. With any type of art, you are really trying to produce something that you yourself are pleased with, never thinking about what appeals to others. All you can do is hope people appreciate what you've created afterwards.”
Hall said there is certainly more to come for the title, but he is not releasing any secrets.
“Expect many issues to come,” he said. “We don't want to give away any major plot points so all we can say is there is a lot in store.”
The Book of Sorrow may be dark, but one that you should mark as must read material. A top indie offering which deserve a broad audience.
For more information check out www.thebookofsorrow.com
-- CALVIN DANIELS
-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra
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